Forgiveness is not just for the sake of the perpetrator

This lady says it all.  I hope you will take a moment to watch.
Blessings,
Teresa

http://wewalkwithjesus.org/?p=913&ref=nf

Freedom from Guilt

Check out my latest column

"Freedom From Guilt"

at www.GloryAndStrength.com

MRI Technicalities

MRI Technicalities

Saturday, January 21, 2012

3:01 PM

Who offended / What they did:	Last month I was scheduled for an MRI.  The technician failed to make me feel safe.  He didn't provide details before starting. He didn't ask if I had claustrophobia. Best case: The equipment he was responsible for failed and he didn't hear me trying to communicate for several minutes.  Worst case: He was ignoring me or left me unattended.
Affected Feelings:	I felt abandoned, afraid and began to panic.
My Response:	I was angry at him.  I must still be angry since I am still judging him and condemning him when I speak of him.  I have judged him as insensitive and not good at his job.  He should be aware of the high percentage of people who struggle with being enclosed in an MRI…according to the internet 20-25% of people are unable to complete the MRI due to claustrophobia.
My Heart/Desire:	To have felt safe enough to complete the MRI.	ROADBLOCKS to forgiveness: The idea that by forgiving him I have to go back and trust him to do this again.  NOT true.  There are many options available to me.
Thanksgiving:	I can be thankful that I do have other options for the MRI.  There are other facilities and I can request an open MRI so it will be less claustrophobic.  I am Very Thankful he did finally hear me and I didn't have to wait the full 45 minutes of the scan for him to come back.
Choose to Forgive:	Father, I do choose to forgive this technician.  In your word, you promise to complete the good work that you have begun in me. (Phil 1:6)  I trust you to do the supernatural work of forgiveness in my heart.  I cannot do this on my own.  Thank you Father for being God, for reigning in my heart.  I ask that you would heal my heart and restore my trust in the next technician.
Forgive Me:	Father, forgive me for holding onto my anger.  It was righteous anger for about 1 minute but almost immediately it became judgment.  I didn't even tell him that he had failed to hear me for at least 3-4 minutes.  I should have provided him that feedback.  I have held him in judgment now for nearly a month.  You are the only one who knows all there is to know and can judge without sin.  He is accountable only to you.
Release/Pray:	I choose to not hold him accountable for my anxiety during the MRI.  I entrust him to you, Lord.  I trust that you will provide him with the revelation that he needs so he can provide the best care to his patients.  I ask every blessing for him.  I ask that you would grant him favor with his employer and help him be successful in his work.  Father, I pray that he will be drawn closer to you all the days of his life.

Dear Reader:  I would love to hear from you.  Have you ever had someone else's actions cause you fear or anxiety?  Have you thought about forgiving them?  If you’ve already forgiven, what has helped you in that process?  I hope you will share your forgiveness journey via email or in the comments below.  Blessings.

***You can read more on this forgiveness journey at www.GloryandStrength.com in my article, "Speak Truth" under the January 2012 archive.

The Ultimate Cone Head:  This is not an MRI - but, hey, MRI Designers, check this out!

Too Small to Forgive?

Rebel without a…Helmet

Thursday, October 13, 2011

2:54 PM

Lord, help me forgive the girl on the trail last night, who must have thought I said "move to the left" when I said, "passing on the left." She apparently couldn't hear me with a cell phone plugged into her head.  We came dangerously close to a full on collision with both of us crowding off to the left side of the trail in the same instant.  Lord, Thank you for the buffering angel wings that kept us from a major collision.   I so would have been regretting my no-helmet ride.  I guess I am just a rebel without a...helmet!  What is the reason for that?  I grew up riding bikes without a helmet and don't really see the need—but you'd think a close call like that would give me pause.  And yet I sit here and think—nah.   Do I need to re-think that decision?  I've been riding bikes for over 40 years without a head injury…sounds pretty cocky.  Do I really want to tempt fate?  As a Christian, do I believe in fate?  Or is it that I am making excessive demands on my guardian angel by not wearing a helmet!?  I read a story in the news today where a little guy had his head accidentally run over by a pick-up truck.  He's fine thanks to his…Bike Helmet.  Now. That. Makes. Me. Think.

So Lord, after that little mini-rant and helmet decision tree , I am hearing my annoyance (low level anger) and especially my judgment of this maybe 20 yr old girl.  I think I am judging so harshly because I am fearful of the potential consequences in her lack of attention.  Lord, I know she was truly sorry just from the expression on her face when I passed by.  (The picture in my head is one of passing "through" her - it was that close!) 

Lord, I am offended because her inattention nearly caused me bodily harm.  My hope was that she would know the "rules of the road" and automatically stay on the right.  My hope was that she would be paying attention (not on the phone) so she would hear what I said. 

Father, forgive ME for judging her for her lack of wisdom.  I do choose right now, today, to forgive her and I trust you to complete the supernatural work of forgiveness in me.

Father, I pray for my fellow trail blazer, that she will be safe on the trail in the future.

Who offended:	Fellow Trail blazer	Roadblock: Thinking this is too small an issue to need to forgive?
Affected/Feelings:	Fear for the bodily harm she almost caused.
My response:	I judged her for not knowing the correct response to being passed.  I judged her for using a cell phone on the trail and not paying attention.	Roadblock: Thinking I don't need to forgive since she was in the wrong.
My Heart/Desire:	- She would follow the "rules of the road" and stay on the right so I could pass safely on the left.  - She would pay attention to her surroundings and not be distracted with a cell phone.
Thanksgiving:	Thank You Lord that you protected us both from a painful crash!
Choose to Forgive:	I do choose to forgive, right now, Lord.  I trust you  to complete the supernatural work of forgiveness in me.
Forgive Me:	Lord, forgive me for my response of judgment against this young woman.
Release/Pray:	Lord, I release her and her lack of wisdom to you.  I ask for wisdom for her future walks on the trail.  And I take this opportunity of crossing paths with her to pray for her eternal life: that she will know you and love you and we will cross paths again (safely)  in heaven!  Amen

Corporate Forgiveness

Issue:  My current job is ending in a few short weeks. 

Prayer:  Dear God, you know I don't Feel like Forgiving.  On my own, I would hang onto the resentment over the loss of my job.  The Bible tells me that I must forgive if I want to be forgiven.  I am diving into this process, trusting you to do the supernatural and help me forgive.

Who offended me: What they did: (just the facts, ma'am)

My employer. They sold their business to a corporation.  I will have no income, no health insurance after Jan 1st.

God, I have known this was coming for the past two years.  Now that it’s happening why does it still hurt to lose this job?

Roadblock to Forgiveness:         Thinking it wouldn't be painful because I knew it was coming...a knife still hurts, no matter how far off I see it coming!

How was I Affected  /  What are my Feelings?

Disappointed.  Hurt.  Rejected.  Financially insecure.  Angry.

Why is it so hard for me to admit to being angry? It seems particularly hard in the area of my career. I always think a professional should be above being angry. Supposedly a "professional" understands these things aren't "personal". The truth is I am still a person and it does hurt.

Roadblock to Forgiveness:         Thinking a professional does not feel hurt by a business decision.

My  Response:

I think I have managed to keep my lip zipped.  It’s been primarily my thought life.  I even thought about quitting - knowing it will be hard to help them transition and not be part of the new team.

Father, forgive me for speaking or thinking ill of anyone, corporate or human.  It is not my desire to add to anyone else's concern about this inevitable change. Lord, help me to be the best coworker-employee-manager I can be in the last days of my job here.  I do want to end well and I do want to help my team transition successfully to their new careers in the corporate world. I trust you have a plan in place for me. 

My Heart/Desire:

I would like a Job!

I understand my job will be eliminated because the new owners have their own management team.  Even though I understand the reasons for my job loss, it still hurts to not be part of the new team. 

Thanksgiving:

Struggling with this one, Lord.

I can start by being thankful that I have had this part-time job for 2 1/2 years -- giving me more time to write.  These 30 hr work weeks have taught me to appreciate and even expect balance in my life.  I am thankful for meeting people in this job that I hope to know for a long time to come.  I do thank you, Lord, that I know you as my provider.  You have proven yourself faithful in this area my whole life.  I thank you that I know I can trust you to provide the next job, just as you have provided every other job I've had.  I can also give thanks that I have 90 days notice of my job ending as well as seven weeks of vacation time coming so I will have an income until late February.  That is a lot of grace--a lot of time to find a job.  Thank you Lord. 

Choose To Forgive:	Lord, I do make the choice to forgive.
I haven't changed my mind about what has happened.  I have been hurt by the business decision of my employer. But Lord, I am choosing to trust the situation to you.  I am not dependent upon anyone else to be my provider.  You sign my paychecks.   I know you already have another job in mind for me.  Lord, I trust you to complete the supernatural workof forgiveness in me.  I trust that my feelings of hurt and anger will dissipate quickly now. I may have new hurts and new reasons to be offended during this transition period.  Lord, I ask for your supernatural protection over my mind and heart.  Help me to not be easily offended.  Help me to quickly turn to you for comfort.		Roadblock to Forgiveness: Thinking I have to change my mind about what has happened.  Forgiving does not mean denying I was hurt.  Forgiving means I let go of the hurt and trust God to comfort and heal the hurt.

Release & Pray:

I release them all to you, my current employers, each corporate employee that I have met and even the corporation itself.

Dear God, I choose to not hold them accountable.  I entrust them to you.  If there are consequences for their actions, or their inaction, it is in your hands.  They are accountable only to you.  They owe me nothing.  Lord, I ask for each of them what I ask for myself, that they be successful in their work and find favor with their employer.  I also pray we are all drawn into deeper relationship with you. In Jesus name, Amen.