SelahV Today

When Life Seems Threatening

...have no fear. 

 Every day there is another announcement or report of some impending disaster, some threatening situation that is certain to adversely affect us if we don't act now, if we don't change this or that.  Rumors abound which are meant to hurt us emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  We are sent emails and tweets and read statuses that could freeze the blood in our veins if not for the comfort we have in the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.

  "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD."   Psalm 112:7

No matter what goes on around us, God is in control.  No matter who tries to hurt us or destroy our joy, God lives within us.  No matter who rejects us, God accepts us.  No matter who hates us, God loves us. No matter who betrays us, God is faithful. No matter what changes come to us, God is steadfast and unchangeable.  No matter what government is against us, God is for us.  What shall we fear?

When We Mess Up

do we give up?

No.  We all mess up.  We are not perfect.  We fail at times.  We get our priorities all out of whack and wake up and find we need to back track and correct some things.  When NASA launched our astronauts into space and pointed them towards the moon, they were not left on their own.  There were constant corrections to the flight pattern in order to keep it on course and allow them to reach their destination.  Such is our life.

As Believers in Christ, we have a final destination and that destination is to be with God forever.  We, too, must make corrections in our lives, in our attitudes, our actions, and habits.  When we stumble down and fall down, we need to get up and remember what caused us to trip.  We need to repent and move on in the right direction.  We need to reset our course from where we were when we first became a Christian.  We need to be better mothers, fathers, wives and husbands.  We need to be better examples of our faith and truer ambassadors for the One who saved us from our sin.

Is there some word you said yesterday in the heat of a moment?  Is there some attitude you fostered, some grievance against someone you have not forgiven?  Is there some activity you have allowed to take you away from God's perfect plan and purpose for your life?

“Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first..."  ~Revelation 2:5a

Notice it does not say to "remember from where you have fallen" and then wallow in a sea of regret and remorse.  It says to repent.  Change directions.  Turn around.  Resist any temptation to remain where you are and continue in that sin of apathy, of disloyalty, of whatever sin you are committing.  Instead, do what God intends for you to do.  Love Him, love others and love yourself.  Live justly, mercifully, and humbly.  Do what He's called you to do, then rest in Him and His grace to see you through another day.  selahV

RESOLUTION PRAYER

I resolve to pray according to Colossians 1:9-14 for my friends, family and especially my grandchildren this year.

May God fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.  May you  live a life worthy of the Lord that you may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work.

I pray that your life will make a contribution to the lives of those around you.  May you influence others by your words and actions in ways that bring glory to your Lord.  May honesty and integrity and faithfulness to God be your guidelines for interacting with others.  I pray that you show patience, kindness and self-control with those closest to you and to strangers you meet.  May you always extend mercy because mercy is what God extends to you each moment of each day.

I pray you grow in the knowledge of God, and are strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.  May you joyfully give thanks to the Father.  God has done so much for you.  He has qualified us to share in blessings and goodness forever and ever. He has set you apart for a specific plan and purpose.  May you hear his voice and trust him and follow his instructions that you may experience every blessing and remain in his will throughout your life.

May God bring people in your life that will strengthen your faith and increase your love for Christ.  May God watch over you and protect you from harm and temptation. God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  May you live each day with this ever present in your mind, heart, spirit and soul. 

May this prayer be my guide this year, in word and deed, in spirit, and thought.  Amen.  selahV

I Don't Know Why, But

God will forgive us.  He will forget that which we have done in rebellion against His holiness.  He will have compassion upon us.

Can anyone comprehend such goodness?

We do not deserve the Grace and Mercy of God's love.  But it is His character to love because HE IS LOVE... and He cannot deny who He is anymore than we can deny who we are.  We are sinners.  When we acknowledge our sinfulness, and turn from our wicked ways, and seek His face and ask forgiveness, God is faithful and just to forgive us.  Then He, through Jesus Christ, will somehow make us righteous in the sight of our Creator and Lord.  I don't know why, I don't know how; I cannot comprehend this mercy and grace.  But I do accept it and will live in it all the days of my life.  May Jesus be praised today and every day forward because:

"He will again have compassion on us; He will vanquish our iniquities. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." ~Micah 7:19

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ~~1 John 1:9 Holman Christian Bible

When Loneliness Invades A Life

emptiness claims our hearts, and sadness seeps into our souls.  And what does our mind cling to?  Our own emptiness, sadness and alone-ness.  Our spirit withers and thirsts after an unquenchable need for companionship, touch, and laughter. 

Ever feel lonely?  No matter how many people who surround you on a Sunday morning?  You feel left out of something--something intangible.  You aren't unhappy with your life; you just feel lonely and alone.  If you try to describe what you are going through, no one understands.  When my husband resigned his church in Kentucky and we moved to Oklahoma, I felt this loneliness.  Even though I was thrilled to be with my family, there was something missing.  I missed the fellowship of friends.  I missed the familiarity of routine, of places I frequented.

I've also had times of extreme loneliness when I am attacked by someone for reasons I cannot understand.  I search my mind for words and conversations I've had.  I retrace my steps and consider everything I've done.  When I come up with no answers, I feel very alone.  I want to reconcile and restore a relationship but do not know where to start.  A slight, an outright betrayal.  There are times in life we all find ourselves suffering, filled with sorrow for a situation we cannot change. God understands this.  Jesus understands it.

"He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familar with suffering.  Like one from whom men hide their faces, he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:3

Can you imagine having been fully in the presence of God Himself, without a single person to interrupt your time with Him?  Can you comprehend sitting at your father's feet, sharing joy and dancing in perfect union, with total harmony?  It's hard to grasp, but I can imagine how great it would be.  It's what I long for.  It's during my lonely times I am reminded of how much Jesus gave up to come to earth to provide me an eternal presence with Him.  I am reminded how very lonely He was among men.  Who could He possibly turn to for understanding?  Who on earth could be the friend He needed to share the future that lay ahead?  Who could befriend Him, could listen and empathize?  Who could hear Him, and shoulder His burdens?  Who could relate to the joys of His past--the freedom from flesh, the comfort of perfection?  Who could possibly relate to the relationship He had with His Father in heaven?  Who could endure the ridicule and harassment he endured, and live with it, without a friend on earth to turn to for encouragement?  Who could He trust with His heart?  I dare say, no one.

I believe loneliness is part of the reason Jesus spent so much time with the Father in prayer.  He needed His strength, His empowerment, His companionship.  He sought it early...every morning. Why?  Because there is no other companionship on earth which could ever equal that of the Creator's.  None.  No other relationship gives us enough of what we need to fill the void within us.

Loneliness has no standards or fundamental rules.  When one is lonely, he longs for companionship.  Sometimes I think I need a person to talk to, to email, to call, to have lunch with.  Other times I need more.  Whenever I feel this great loneliness seep into my heart, I am certain of one thing--I need Jesus.  Only He can fill my empty spaces.  Sometimes He brings me a friend to talk to.  Sometimes He gives me extra attention from my husband or a family member.  But I know it is Jesus who fills this void completely.

© Hariette Petersen, SelahV Today, 2010

A SIMPLE GOSPEL: "The Light is where Jesus Is"

I was just about ready to get up and go next door to check on the girls because their mommy had just left to run some errands when Kinsey popped through my door and asked if she could call her mommy.  She'd found a brand new paint brush and wanted to use it.  "What are you going to paint?"  She hesitated. 

"I don't know."  I could tell the paint brush was one of the cheap craft-brushes so I was sure my daughter wouldn't mind if Kinsey used it.  However, the question racing around in my mind was what did she plan on painting. Visions of her doll house, and walls streaked through my mind.  I said, "But, Kinsey, I need to know what you are going to paint before I call your mommy."  Kinsey looked frustrated and shrugged her shoulders, her eyes went back and forth like she was searching her mind for an answer.  

"Haylee's painting," she reasoned.  Uh oh.  I thought they were in their rooms playing with Barbies.  Definitely time to go next door and check out the action.  I should have known they were too quiet. 

"What is Haylee painting?"

"I don't know." My heart skipped a beat.

"Where is Haylee painting?"

"In the office."  When we got to Mommy's office, my heart settled down.  Haylee was painting gold hearts on paper.  Whew...was I happy.  Haylee showed me where they'd found the paint brushes and sure enough they were craft-brushes.  They both asked if we'd call Mommy to see if it was okay to use the paint brush.  I knew it was okay, but to relieve their minds, we called.  Mommy said it was fine as long as they were in play clothes, "they know what not to wear".  Haylee (who'd already been painting and dripped a few drops on their school desk), immediately started taking off her top.  Kinsey stripped off her sweat pants.  Now we're getting somewhere.  I then suggested we go next door to my kitchen table.  They were all for that.  I got out some paper for painting acrylics.  I pulled their hair back in ponytails, pinned back their bangs and got Haylee a paint shirt to wear (yes, I keep paint-shirts for such occasions).  I poured various colored paints into an empty plastic egg carton and they began to paint.  I went back to my writing.

"Haylee, my cross is ugly."

"No, it's not.  It's the best cross I ever saw."

Thirty minutes later they brought their masterpieces to me to view.

I affirmed and extolled their work.  I told Haylee what a nice job she did.  I didn't mention it, but she'd obviously learned from the last lesson I gave her on filling in all the white space on the paper. She even made the grass two shades and made the blades growing up instead of across the page.  She put her son behind the cross.  I was impressed. Then Kinsey shared hers with me.  She hadn't filled in the sky, nor had she remembered about the way the grass grew...but I didn't say a word.  It seemed she had a bigger picture in mind as she interpreted the details of her painting:

"I put the light behind the cross.  'Cuz Jesus came alive after He was on it. And the Light is where Jesus is."

Simple truth.  Simple Gospel.  Don't you think?  selahV

"Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Sometimes We Cry

Sometimes we wonder if we will ever stop crying.

Our hearts may ache for the loss of a loved one.  We may agonize over the turmoil between us and another: a teenager who rebels, an adult child who strays, a husband who fails to meet our needs, a friend who struggles with faith.

We may be consumed with circumstances so far beyond our control that we cannot see any way out, nor any solution to our problems.  We may be distressed, despairing, and desperate.  And all we can do is cry.  We fight it.  We try to buck up and deal with things.  We try to stuff it all behind us and let it go.  We busy ourselves with as many menial and productive tasks that we can conjure up... just to keep from crying.  Why?

Why not just let the floodgates open and let the tears flow?

Crying is a cleansing thing.  God gave us tear ducts for a reason.  He knew our hearts would fill with heartache.  He knew our souls would scream with the pain of life.  He knew our spirits would face tumult and frustration.  He knew.

It's okay, my friends, to let go and let God take your hurt, your sadness, your stored despair, your disappointments and brokenness. It's okay.  You can cry.  You really can. selahV

"You have collected all my tears in Your bottle.

 You have recorded each one in your book."                        

                                     Psalm 56:8

Too Soon To Consider

But when I saw this photo below, I just had to post it on my blog.  I just love cardinals.  I've loved them since I was a child.  I saw them on a regular basis in my home state of Virginia.  They are our state bird.  I suppose on a desolate winter day, when snow covers the earth, these delightful wisps of red are the perfect ornament to see perched in the grey world of hibernation.  Such is the case with this photo I saw on Pinterest today.  It may be too soon to contemplate a Winter's day; it's still hot and dry in Oklahoma. The parched ground begs for rain.  Yet, just this morning, on the way to church I saw a group of small cardinals being led by a lone feathered scarlet dad.  The tiny flock were startled into flight by a group of four young deer that crossed the road.  My heart fluttered with praise and appreciation at the glory of God's creatures. I could not help but consider the color they brought to an otherwise desolate thirsting world.  It may be too soon to consider a snow-covered earth, but it's never too soon to consider the blessings God brings to us in so many ways, every season of the year--no matter how dry or desolate our world may seem.

"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Romans 8:18

Source: flickr.com via Susan on Pinterest

I Come to the Garden Alone

I was only thirteen when I walked into the ballroom and stared at the breathtaking sight.  Giant columns dotted the room and held the massive ceiling in place.  Beautifully decorated tables filled the room.  I'd never seen even one table decorated with flowers and candles; this room had to have 100 or more.  Ladies were all dressed up; there were over 600 people there.  I almost turned around and ran.  I was scared to death.

I had no idea when my 4-H leader asked me to sing a song for her ladies club that her club had so many women.  I suddenly realized why she'd worked for weeks getting me ready, teaching me how to hold notes and sing with more volume as she played the piano in her living room.  Until I walked into that ballroom, I'd felt pretty confident. I literally wanted to cry.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  Mrs. Keys hoped I would get a scholarship by singing in front of ladies in her lodge.  I didn't.  I was disappointed that she was disappointed.  However, there is an up side to this; I never forgot the song:

"I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses...".

I suppose the most wonderful part of learning a song, and failing to please my 4-H leader, is the difference it made in my life 38 years later. In our last pastorate, a dear elderly lady, Mrs. P, was devastated when her husband suddenly died of a massive stroke.  Our music director usually arranged to sing for the funerals, but when we went by to see the widow, she tearfully asked if I would sing a song.  I immediately said "yes", even though I had never sang a solo at a funeral.  I asked if she had a particular song she wanted me to sing, and she said she'd leave that up to me; she was so grief-stricken she couldn't think. 

As a minister's wife I've sang "In The Garden" many times in church.  But I've never sang it solo; I'm usually in a choir or a congregation. On the day of the funeral, I could barely breathe as I began singing. Mrs. P sat right in front of me and looked into my face through tears of sorrow.  I wanted to break down crying--just like many years before. Instead of crying with her, the Lord pressed upon me to smile as I sang. Her face slowly filled with a peace that I can only describe as passing all understanding. Her tears stopped falling down her cheeks.  Pure contentment radiated from her eyes.  I wanted to stop singing and go hug her, but managed to finish without dissolving into an emotional puddle.

Days after the funeral, my husband and I went to visit her and she took my hands in hers, and kept telling me how wonderful my song was and how much she appreciated it.  Then she asked me how I knew it was her husband's favorite song. I didn't know.  But God did. Amazing how God works, isn't it?  I can't begin to count how many times I've sung that song through the years, but I can count the one time it felt like I was truly in the garden with my Savior.  selahV

Source: gypsypurplehome.tumblr.com via Pat on Pinterest

Revisiting WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS...

I return to my roots and...

I SURRENDER...

My inabilities.

My expectations.

My weaknesses.

My capabilities.  My failures and my needs.

I surrender all of me.  All to Jesus.

I take all my talents which He has so richly given to me and lay them at His feet.  I yield all my gifts to His divine control.  I abandon my preconceived ideas of what He expected of me when I fail to see results.

I wave the white flag and give Him all that I am--the dregs of my endeavors.

He takes my dregs and casts them into His heavenly compost heap and adds some heat to the dung of my offerings.  In time, He takes a seed of His own choosing from that dung and helps me put to death my own desires to sprout and bloom with dreams of becoming a rose without a thorn.  With His own breath my death gives way to life and in the paths of others who demand I bloom as they desire, I burst forth as a thistle in the wind.  Attached upon my stem a banner waves of all He seeks of me and all I can become in the meadow of His choice and design.  A white flag--shaded blue--in honor of His royal purpose for me, I give to thee this day, my readers.   selahV

This post is slightly edited today and dedicated in honor of all who seek to know my Lord through the words I write, in my hope of bringing glory to His name.  It is my prayer that eyes which see this rendering will know the heart of my words and the hope I see in Jesus Christ my Lord.

[For further posts of which I find most joy in writing and purpose in publishing go HERE@DailyImpact, and HERE@DevotionalChristian...and HERE@Kids'Matters]  [first written and copyrighted, on February 1, 2008 by selahV Today]

I Am Not Alone...

When Arrows Come

and pierce my soul...and I am mocked...I am not alone... [continue reading HERE.]

Nobility

"A Christian worker has to learn how to be God's noble man or woman amid a crowd of ignoble things." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Ah...indeed, she does need to "learn".

She needs to study to show herself approved "unto God".  God.  Not man, not other women.  But God.  The rest will fall into place quite nicely.

What are "ignoble things"?  Dishonorable... base... mean.  Things which lack mercy, love, and peace.  Things that show themselves pious, full of guile, permeated by deceit and manipulation.  Things that originate in the flesh, that fuel the ego, that salve the conscience of man.  Things that build upon themselves a tower in the "name" of God for the pride and credit of man.  These are ignoble things.  A bigger platform.  A wider audience.  A controlled environment.  A place of personal pleasure, separated from the mind and will of God.  A higher pedestal.

"I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." 1 Corinthians 9:22

Our intentions, though we deem honorable and pure, are but beams of pride in the sight of God.  He makes all things new.  Not us.  He creates new creatures.  Not us.  He turns water into wine.  Not us.  He rolls back the Red Sea, stills the raging waves, and builds His church on solid rock...from the likes of a lowly Peter, an adulterous woman, a doubting Thomas, a thieving tax collector.  God be praised that He has chosen me to stand in the gap and bloom where I am planted.  No matter how wide or deep the gap--no matter how dry or weed-filled the field may be, God abides within me and gives me strength and grace to carry on in His name. 

"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." 1 John 4:15 

FREE to Choose

He escaped again.  For some reason, of late, Snappy the Red-eared Slider was no longer happy in his aquarium on my granddaughter's dresser.  He wasn't satisfied with greeting their fingers as soon as they came near his glass case.  It was so cute to watch him tread water and open his mouth the moment he saw their fingers with dried food squiggles.

Snappy began his life with Abby and Brooklyn, when they were just three and seven and he was little more than the size of a quarter.  (A story I've shared before.)

Snappy was instrumental in adding to my older granddaughter, Brooklyn's faith when she was just 7.  She and Abby were playing with him one day.  As children are common to do, they got distracted by something else, and forgot about leaving Snappy on her bed.  When they remembered, he'd simply disappeared.  They searched and searched for him.  Brooklyn was devastated.  She was certain their dog, Allie, had found him and eaten or killed him.  She was so worried she called me.  I assured her that her chihuahua had not eaten Snappy and said I'd pray about it. Within a few minutes, she called back and told me her mother had found Snappy beneath the bed in the corner of the wall.  Immediately she announced that she knew it was God, because she had just prayed that they'd find him and her mother came out and announced she had.

FAST-FORWARD Seven Years:

Snappy recently became rather testy about his environment.  He wasn't happy to stay in the plastic rectangle tub my granddaughter, Abby, had placed him in to await daily visits and water-changes and feedings.  He wanted more.  He wanted to explore the carpet. She'd taken him out of his larger aquarium because it was getting dirty too quickly and very difficult to keep clean.  Snappy had grown closer to the size of an I-Hop pancake and his water got dirty much faster than when he was tiny.  Again and again he'd escape and Abby would find him trying to climb her bookshelves.  Did he want to read?

About two months ago, Abby called and asked me if I thought they should let him go free into the turtle-friend pond near her home or if I wanted him.  I thought seriously about it.  I did want to keep him...but, I asked which she thought would be better for Snappy.  She chose freedom.  Thus a couple of weeks ago--when I arrived to pick-up Abby for a weekend visit--she wanted to know if we could take him to the turtle-pond that very day.  It was a beautiful day in Texas.  I took my camera and we fed Snappy some food. We placed the large plastic rectangle bin into an empty Huggies diaper box to avoid the slosh of water onto my car's carpet.

Emotions warred within me, as Abby battled her own when we got to the park.  I was tickled that Abby and Brooklyn saw the wisdom in letting Snappy go to live free in their town's public pond.  Yet sadness and sentimentality claimed a portion of my heart as she held his tub and stared at him.  After all we'd shared life with Snappy for a very long time.  During those nearly 7 years, the girls had diligently cared for him and watched him grow--just as I had watched them grow.  We researched red-earred sliders at one point and discovered he could live for 50 years, or more.  Because we found him in my daughter's swimming pool, hardly two months after their daddy had died, I think we all kinda connected the two events.

We did exactly what my son would have done, had he been alive when they found him squirming to get out of the pool's filter-drain.  We rescued him and vowed to protect him from the world.

At this phase of Snappy's life, I imagine Chad would have built a tiled pond in their back yard, so Snappy could grow happily.  He would have gone turtle hunting and brought Snappy some friends.  Alas, he wasn't here to build the tile-pond--or to find him friends.  So, we did the next best thing.  I really didn't want Abby to know the melancholy feelings surging within me as we went through motions of Snappy's release.  I made it a great event.  We chatted about how wonderful a life he'd now have with his new-found freedom.  She told me how clean the pond was because the park-attendants came and cleaned it near the fountain in the center of the pond all the time.  She got excited thinking about Snappy meeting other turtles, but wondered if they'd be friendly or mean.  I assured her that they would be happy to welcome him into their world.  Who wouldn't love Snappy?  I told her he'd meet a lady turtle and probably have baby turtles.  She'd return to the park some day and see Snappy again with his happy family.

My assurance carried a double meaning for my sweet granddaughter.  You see, she is moving soon.  Away from the home she's known since she lost her daddy.  She'll have to make new friends in a new school.  She wonders how they will treat her, too.  I am sure all these thoughts were rolling around through her mind, and heart, as she prepared to release her green friend into a strange new world.

Abby gave Snappy his last meal at the park.  He ate it all before she showed him his new domain.  She placed him on the ground near the edge of the pond and he sat there a moment, then took off faster than lightning into the water.  He moved so quickly my camera seized and I missed the shot of him scooting into the pond.  At first he popped his head up from beneath the water's surface as if to say thankyou and good-bye.  I barely blinked before he dove and submerged himself in the mucky water below.  I took some pictures of where he burrowed, barely visible, into the pond's muck.  His color matched that of the muddy bottom.  Abby dumped some turtle food on the ground near his entry point, and we took a few more photos.  As we walked away, the ducks came up and began eating Snappy's food.  Abby protested.  I assured her that God gave Snappy special instincts to know how to get food from the muck in his world. "He'll provide him food and friends and a happy time."

Abby chattered on and on about this and that while we drove the hour from Texas back to Oklahoma for the weekend.  I couldn't help but smile and think how my son was in his new Heavenly home.  I felt he was probably cheering us on as Snappy raced into the water and Abby learned a lesson in love.  If you love someone, you want the best for them--even when our choices are hard for us to bear.  Just as we were free to keep or release Snappy, God gave us the freedom to hold onto him and keep him all to ourselves, or let him go to live in a world where he'd be happier and free to be all he was purposed to be.  I think we chose the right path, don't you?  selahV  [Click on photos to enlarge.]

The Worst Offense

It doesn't take much to offend some people today. When terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in New York City, a steel cross arose from the mangled steel and concrete rubble. Workers stored the cross at a nearby church.  Today there is much contention about allowing it to be brought back to Ground Zero Memorial site because it is symbolic of Christianity which could offend those who are not Christian.

Displaying a cross offends. Wishing someone a Merry Christmas offends. Using God's name in public prayer offends.  Ignoring a person we pass in a hallway offends.  Some folks are offended simply because you disagree with their opinions or views.

Others are offended because a friend is offended.

A grief counselor I talked with told me that the hardest thing to forgive is an offense against someone we love or care about.  It's not an offense against ourselves, personally...but one against someone we care about--be that a child, a parent, a friend.  We seem to be able to forgive more easily when someone offends us than when someone hurts those we love.

Peter was quick and ready to defend Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Peter drew his sword and lopped off the ear of Potiphar's servant. That servant was just there doing his job--attending to his master.  Jesus healed his ear, then rebuked Peter's offering of help.

People will bend over backwards and fall on swords to protect a friend or family member...or someone who thinks like they do.  Recently we've seen how offended the public at large was over the death of Caylee Anthony, a toddler in Florida.  Because of the morbid way little Caylee was left in a swamp, and her absence went unreported by her mother, the public took offense for the tiny child.  They were outraged when the mother, Casey, was found not guilty.  They wanted a pound of flesh. 

The same is true with some people when they see a friend or someone they respect placed under a microscope, or criticized--fairly or unfairly.  They immediately come to the "rescue" so to speak and try to explain away actions, words, and even give answers for motive and intent, even though they are not privy to those innermost feelings and thoughts.  If the advocates do not correct their friend's critic, they may go so far as to begin a war of sorts to destroy the offender.  This happens because we take offense for others wherein we have no business being offended.

Sometimes people have no idea how deeply they offend us with words and actions.  Jesus gives us the best example on what to do with them.  Forgive them.  Have mercy.

This is not easy.  It is harder, still, for us to watch the pain and heartache others exact on those we love.  After all, the worst offense is the hardest to forgive.  But oh how necessary for us if we want to live an abundant life--free of animosity, distrust, and bitterness.  If we don't let the offenses go, we shackle our hearts and quench the Spirit of God within us.  How quickly we can fall into a pit of self-righteousness and superiority.

LORD, give us Your strength to break the bonds of unforgiveness in our hearts.  Help us see others as You see them and act according to Your Word.  May all we do and say be that which brings honor and glory to You.  selahV