I remember once as a child telling my grandmother, "Those kids don't
like me, grandma. They make fun of me." Her response to that was
"Remember that no one can insult you unless you give them your
permission." That was good advice and I lived to recall it at other times
in my life. Still, there were times when it was difficult to not take
the hurt if I felt wronged even in some minor way. It can be difficult
to refrain from speaking out in some situations, and perhaps regretful
words are said, and then it's just out there - you've said it, and often
wish you hadn't.
Jesus gave us the answer to this
sort of problem in saying "Turn the other cheek." If someone insults
you, forgive them - whatever they have done, forgive them. In one of
her wonderful hymns Fanny Crosby wrote of the desire to live "above the
world." It is a truth that above the world or outside of the world is
where our lives will be when we press into a spiritual existence with
God. It is a wonderful experience to feel you are not to be deflected
by the world's point of view, which leaves one with options for handling
anger that don't prove helpful, and proof of that is the years of
therapy people often endure. God would never tell us to do something
that He did not have a direct hand in. The ability to love and forgive
under even the most difficult circumstances is one of the many gifts of
God's Holy Spirit.
And so, we believe - we show faith -
which is what we have to have - and God changes our situation. He
takes away anger and hurt. He replaces it with love, understanding, and
forgiveness. Yes, my grandmother gave me good advice, but still it
took me years to learn what I needed to have, and that was a place with
Jesus in my heart and God's Spirit to guide me through.
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