Forgiveness is the Path To Success

Today’s reading: Luke 6:33-38

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been The King of Lost Causes.

This has been my life’s viscous cycle: I come up with an idea I believe is brilliant. I share it with others who offer me encouragement. Inspired by that, I plan a meeting with visions of grandeur. Still more encouragement comes as I invite people to the meeting. No one shows up. The idea dies.

There have been variations to this, of course. Sometimes the meeting is well attended, but a friendly Devil’s Advocate or two quickly kill the idea.  And a few times I’ve found three or four co-sparks for an idea, but these groups have always burned through their inspiration quickly and fizzled while searching for more.

A church on IH 35 in San Antonio has built a shocking sight that has caught my attention many times: a “graveyard” of giant crosses marking the lives lost to abortion. My life, so far, is a graveyard for great, aborted ideas.

But many of these ideas came to me from God himself!  And through my study of Noah, Moses, Joseph and many others in the Bible I know a resurrection is in store for them — in God’s time, and only if I remain faithful.  My lack of faith is about the only thing that can kill these ideas for good.

I say “about” because today’s reading reminds me of something else that can also kill these ideas.

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven;” (Verse 36-37)

The Devil is always tempting me to give up on the people who I judge to have have given up on my ideas.  He typically inspires this thought after every failed meeting: “If  people don’t want to help, if they don’t believe, well screw  ’em! I’ll just do this myself! ”

But the truth is I’ve only rarely heard someone tell me that he or she, in fact, doesn’t want to help, or doesn’t believe, in an idea of mine.  On the contrary, I regularly hear, “that’s a great idea, Don!” — even from people who have missed meetings they’ve promised to attend. I may have trouble finding physical help for my ideas, but I rarely have trouble finding encouragement.

And the truth is also, that I can’t carry out my ideas by myself! So giving up on my encouragers is a foolish thing to do.

My judgement and condemnation of these friends (even in my private thoughts) only works against the ideas God has given me. And that means it works against God himself (as is the case with any sin).

I must remember that!

Thanks be to God for the ideas He has given me. May I always remember that He will see them through — unless I give up on them first.