Micah 7:18-19
Our God, no one is like you.
We are all that is left
of your chosen people,
and you freely forgive
our sin and guilt.
You don’t stay angry forever;
you’re glad to have pity
and pleased to be merciful.
You will trample on our sins
and throw them in the sea.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Somewhere
along the line at one of the auctions or estate sales we attended, I
acquired a white ceramic cherub. I like angels, and I have quite a few
of them sitting around our house in various poses. This particular
angel reclined, and I placed him on a half-table in our entryway. The
cherub looked sweet there with some other “found things” from my
collection.
Timothy was so intrigued with this little angel when
he was a toddler. He loved to stand and look at it...and to touch its
shiny, smooth surface. Many times, I reminded him, “Don’t touch! He’s
‘very breakable’.” This was a phrase that Timothy’s mother used often
when SHE was little...lots of things were “very breakable.” One day
when Timothy was about two, I heard a crash, and as I rounded the
corner, I saw him step away from the half-table in our entryway. He was
upset...the angel was on the floor, and a piece had broken off near its
foot.
I told Timothy, “It’s okay...but see – this is what I
told you might happen if we touched the angel. He is only to look at. I
will glue him back together. It will be okay.” I’ll be honest...I might
have paid a dollar for this little angel...I would never put a valuable
piece where a toddler could reach it and do damage to either the piece
or himself! So this was a “teachable moment!”
As I picked
Timothy up to give him a hug, I noticed some blood on the top of his
bare foot. A shard of the angel had apparently popped loose at just the
right angle to nick his skin. It was only a superficial wound, but I
once again reinforced the need to leave “very breakable” items alone as I
cleaned his foot and put a little antibiotic ointment on the cut.
I’ll
admit...this irritated me momentarily. I had repeatedly reminded my
little nephew not to touch this angel, knowing fully well that he
probably would anyway. But when he did, and the piece broke, I got
aggravated – not just at the damaged piece, but that he had hurt himself
in the process. But I got over it pretty quickly. I fixed the
cherub...fixed the kid...and moved ahead. I tossed aside my feelings of
frustration and irritation and let them go.
Do you see that this
is what God does with us every single day...only on a much larger
scale? These verses from Micah 7 are part of a prayer...one in which
the people are acknowledging God’s love and mercy...how He doesn’t stay
angry with us forever. If we have chosen to follow Jesus Christ...to
make Him the LORD of our life...our sins are forgiven. As humans, we
will surely sin again...but God will quickly forgive and forget. He will
repair the damage, take us in His arms and remind us that “this is what
happens when we disobey.” I’m sure He doesn’t like it...especially
when we are hurt in the process. But He sets us on our feet again - and
encourages us to move forward and make every effort to do better.
It’s
easy to forgive and forget when we’re talking
two-year-olds...especially when the situation involves a doting aunt and
her precious nephew. But I think we sometimes forget a couple of
things...1) how precious we are to God, and how much He wants to show us
mercy and forgiveness – and to set us upright when we falter; and 2)
how equally precious each person is to God. He expects us to
treat others as He treats us...and that means extending grace and mercy
to them, even when they stumble and irritate us (or “break something”)
in the process. Sometimes, the transgressions seem fairly benign.
Sometimes they are costly...and maybe even physically or emotionally
harmful. But essentially, they are all the same to God...equally
pardonable and reparable.
Think about your own life. Where have
you “broken God’s treasures”? Where have you done this to others...and
where have they broken things that you value...material
possessions, trust, respect, sincerity, and more? Have you truly asked
God – and others – to forgive you for these transgressions? Have you
freely offered mercy and forgiveness to those who have “trampled” on you
in some way? Do you see that in order to ask for – and receive – God’s
mercy and forgiveness...you must share these same blessings with
others?
Will you cling to past sins – yours or another’s – like
the broken pieces of an estate sale cherub? Or will you do your best
to repair the damage and move forward? Are you ready to truly live as a
disciple of Christ and operate in His tenets? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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