All Of This From A Kid's Movie

I came home today and fixed myself a sandwich for lunch and plopped down in front of the TV for a few minutes intending on turning on the news before I got back to work. My boys had gone upstairs and left the movie "Meet The Robinsons" playing on the TV. It is one of my favorite animated movies so rather than turn on the news I watched a few minutes of the movie. If you've never seen it, the story line is really all about learning to let go of the past and to keep moving forward.

As I sat there watching this animated kid's movie, I started thinking about how refusing to let go of past hurts and offenses, is truly an epidemic. Think about it. Like "Goob" in the movie, we so often hang onto things with this idea of revenge taking root in our heart. We've been wounded and we figure that its only fair to get back at those who have hurt us. Or, we remain silent, don't launch a counter attack, and stuff the thing deep down inside of us where nobody can see it. Regardless of which route we take, the truth is that if we never truly deal with it, the result is never healthy. When I say deal with it, I mean let it go. Choose to forgive and move forward.

"But, this person did this," "I can't forgive them," "You have no idea what I've been through." We've used all the excuses and to us they all seem valid. However, the excuses never bring healing. When we refuse to forgive others, the wound remains opened and healing never comes. And while we may decide to break ties with the one who wounded us, unhealed wounds affect how we approach others and how we approach life. Perhaps it makes us view life as if we are a victim, or we build walls that never allow anyone else get close. Or, maybe we set out on a mission to prove others wrong, or we settle into a life that trusts nobody.

I think Jesus understood the power that a heart of unforgiveness could have on us. He spoke on the subject more than once, instructing us to forgive those who have hurt us. He even went so far as to say that if we want forgiveness from our Heavenly Father, then we must be willing to forgive others.

On the other hand, our enemy, the devil understands what unforgiveness can do to us as well. His strategy is to cause us to never let go of those things because he longs for us to live in bondage to it all. Bondage vs. freedom? Tough choice isn't it. God wants us free, and the enemy wants to keep us in bondage.

There have been seasons of my life where I refused to forgive those who had hurt me. It affected the way I did life and every relationship was tainted by that unforgiveness. Those times were miserable. Those seasons were truly some of the most frustrating times of my life. Today, I can think of no person I have unforgiveness toward. I am totally free and I have to admit freedom beats bondage hands down.

Make a decision today, to let go of past offenses. I know some of those wounds are serious and there are hurts that go deep and are life altering. I want to encourage you though, there is nothing quite as life altering as the day you release that thing. The moment you choose to forgive and move forward, the healing begins.

Back to the movie. After watching a few minutes I fast forwarded to the end of the movie because I love the song at the end. I'll end with a few lines of the song here, and I pray you'll take it to heart.

Let it go,

Let it roll right off your shoulder

Don't you know

The hardest part is over

Let it in,

Let your clarity define you

In the end,

We will only just remember how it feels....

Worth The Pain

Men are a peculiar species. I can say that because I am a card carrying member of that sect of humanity. Actually, anyone can say that, because its true. I guess it could be just me that's a bit peculiar, by I really don't think I'm alone here. I think its us guys as a whole. If not in whole, at least for the most part. Case in point, picture me in the woods with a .12 gauge shotgun. An old school shotgun, no recoil pad, just a hard, real wood stock that would flat out knock some skinny boy on his can. Lot's of boom, lots of bang, and lots of kick. Now, since I am a couple of decades removed from the skinny boy days, there's not much of a chance of me getting knocked on my can. No, I just get some major pain inflicted in my right shoulder. Now, although I've never been a hunter, I have shot deer rifles before but this was my first crack at a .12 gauge. I knew straight up, this puppy was going to kick a bit, but never thought it would kick as much as it did. Six days later, I'm still feeling the effects of the shotgun recoil in my shoulder.
What's so crazy about the whole thing, and I'm sure you men can relate, after the first shot I had to do it again. Knowing full well that this thing was going to flat hurt, I just had to do it one more time. Now, if it was just me out there, I would be inclined to think that I was just a bit on the weird side. But, I wasn't alone. I was out there with a buddy of mine and both of us were commenting on how much it hurt but we just had to shoot the shotgun again. I would understand it a little better perhaps if we were shooting at some food to bring home to the family, but we weren't shooting at anything but an old structure and some glass. No real pay off or reward for our pain. Just the satisfaction that we were making lots of noise, destroying something, and handling a gun with lots of power. That's it. Plain and simple. And for that simple pleasure, we figured it was worth the pain. So we just kept shooting. Laughing and rubbing our shoulders after each shot.
Ok, so we men are a little peculiar like that, but really life is not all that different for all of us. Life produces bumps and bruises along the way. We stick our necks out to connect with others only to find ourselves "rubbing our shoulders" so to speak. The fact is, building relationships with others produces pain in our lives from time to time. Some of those wounds are simple surface wounds, while others are deep wounds that take years or maybe a lifetime to heal. So, what do we do, quit and withdraw from others? Some do, but that is truly a tragedy. We were never met to live life alone. God created us to live in fellowship with one another. What happens when we withdraw and isolate ourselves is we eliminate our ability to feel the true spirit of family that God desires for us to experience. Sure, its not perfect because it involves people, but it beats isolation hands down. Of course, opening yourself up to others is risky, but isn't everything else in life. Trust me the payoff is worth it.

So, go for it, but get ready cause this thing kicks quite a bit. Believe me though, you'll find yourself rubbing your wound afterward, only to want another shot. Man, life is a blast!!!