Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I’m ready for this new day after my time with the Author and Perfecter of my Faith, a good dose of His Living Word, and a hot cup of coffee. It’s cold and overcast this morning, and my Heart is missing the sunshine, so since I can’t enjoy the warmth outside, I’ll enjoy the warmth these beautiful sunflowers (a gift from my precious friend) bring me instead. I determine to enjoy each new day, rain or shine, hot or cold, and my glass is usually half full. This time of year can go from the feeling of a warm summer day to freezing temperatures and then back again from one day to the next. I am confident that the sun is always waiting just behind the clouds and that nothing is predictable in the Spring in Virginia. When you think about it, isn’t that just the way it is in this Journey of Faith too?

Some people don’t LOOK for the sunshine because they enjoy having frost around their hearts year-round instead. It’s as if they enjoy being “a victim,” and it’s their mission to put the world on notice that they were wounded at some point. They refuse to allow the warmth of the Son to melt the cold away as if they’ll somehow lose their strength if they let it go. They strut around with a cold heart as if it’s something to be proud of, and they have every excuse imaginable for why they refuse to let go of an offense. These people can hold on to something someone did to them like a snapping turtle year after year, refusing to let go as if refusing forgiveness will (in some twisted sort of way) get even with the one who wronged them. Their emotions can flare up in a heartbeat as they recount the wrongs, and they relive the events as if they just happened yesterday. Some even wish for horrible, hurtful things to happen to the one who caused them pain, while others stretch “tape” around their lives like a crime scene, daring anybody to cross the line. They carry the weight of unforgiveness around like a sack loaded with rocks, and no matter how weary they become from the weight or how injured they become from the stress, they REFUSE to let it go. Unfortunately for these people, their glass is always half empty, and they would never know what it means to be content with a few sunflowers in place of the sun.

I know that when I go before my God and ask for forgiveness for my wrongs, they are “as far as the east is from the west” because the Bible says so. The Ultimate price has already been paid for me and my sins and I find indescribable comfort in knowing that as soon as I confess them, they’re forgiven. Remembering this is the Key to being able to forgive others, too. I’ll NEVER forget what a “wretch” I was before Jesus found me, and I’ll never grow tired of embracing the Price He paid for my Sins. I didn’t earn it. I didn’t deserve it. I could never have paid it on my own. This is the way I see it – if He could save a wretch like me…if He could lay down His life to pay the Price I couldn’t pay myself…if He could meet me where I was and Love me just as I am, WHO DO I THINK I AM TO WITHHOLD FORGIVENESS? The Key to being able to extend forgiveness to people you don’t believe deserve it is to NEVER lose sight of the price He paid to forgive YOUR wrongs. His Rules are pretty simple – if you want His Forgiveness, then you better be willing to extend it to someone else no matter what they’ve “done” to you. I wouldn’t want to be you if you refuse to forgive, that’s for sure.

I’ve experienced some serious wrongs in my life, and I’ve been labeled a “doormat” countless times as I’ve picked myself back up and then “let it go” over and over again. I’ve heard every reason under the sun for what I “should” do to get even – always under the guise of “making the wrongs right” as if God has exceptions to His own Rules about forgiveness. Those advisors may be able to fool themselves when they “justify” hateful thoughts and deeds, but they can’t fool God. What I don’t understand is why they would lift a finger to make things right when they can leave the reckoning up to a Mighty God instead. The Bible says, “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” so I can’t think of a better way for the wrongs to be made Right than to Trust the Living God with the outcome. He already knows it all, and He will have the ultimate say. His forgiveness is the ONLY forgiveness that ever really matters.

I’m an imperfect woman striving to live a Life that is a good Reflection of my King. I’m determined to look at the Bright Side, and my glass will remain half full all the days of my Life. I’ll do my best to “plow my own field” instead of concerning myself with the “fields” of others. I won’t carry a grudge or refuse to forgive someone who wrongs me today, and I’ll do everything in my power to let the Light of my Faith shine on this overcast day. I’ll be satisfied with a beautiful jar full of sunflowers in place of the sunshine, and I’ll be focusing on the Nourishment these flowers needed to grow into something beautiful. I want to be like the flowers – clinging to the basic things to find Nourishment, Strength, and Growth. As long as I keep reaching for the Son, I’ll find everything I need.

Just think…He reached my Heart with just a few sunflowers; imagine what He can do for you!