Public Musings on Personal Faith: Just A Little Sip Kathie Scott 11/16/2011

OK I admit it. I have difficulty managing stress. I internalize the bulk of it, which has taken its toll on me, spirit, soul and body. Not good for me, but certainly good business for my chiropractor and my pharmacist. Fortunately, God is way too interested in the whole of my well-being to leave me that way. So He sent me someone who advised me to walk in forgiveness. Sounds kind of like that trite old, wishy-washy now-just-be-a-good-Christian-doormat message that is tossed around as a substitute for the real Truth, doesnt it? Thankfully, it wasnt that message. It was actually some very wise, amazingly practical, and mind-bogglingly simple advice. Are you ready for it? When something happens, or someone does something, and you start to get all worked up over it, stop. Just stop. Take a moment to think about whats bothering you. Then make a conscious choice to forgive whoever or whatever has caused the problem. Say it out loud if you can. Say it silently to God if you cant. I choose to forgive ________ for ________. Is that just not one of the simplest things youve ever heard? Let me say that Ive been doing this for 5 whole days now, and Kathie has been a very busy girl. Whole lotta forgiveness going on around here. The most surprising thing of all? The sheer amount of time I have to spend forgiving inanimate objects! I know, I know, sounds goofy. I am greatly annoyed when technology doesnt work the way its supposed to (translate: the way I think it should). So, over the past 5 days, the biggest culprits have been my computer at work and all its peripherals (printer, scanner, secondary connection to remote server applications, payroll database) and my computer at home (4 hours reinstalling iTunes and downloading the same podcasts twice because they didnt download to my iPod right the first time). I forgive the archaic stone-knives-and-bear-skins database version of ADP for being so difficult until we finally get the web-based version that will print locally without complication. I forgive my computer for locking up despite the fact that an operating system is supposed to be for multitasking and that should include 6 applications and at least a dozen documents, all while listening to lastfm.com. The second most surprising thing? How much of the time I get annoyed over little stuff. Those of you who know me well you have all fallen off your chairs laughing, havent you? Let me pause while you collect yourselves. Are you back?

I know it shouldnt have surprised me, but it really did. I dont get really angry very often, but I spend a lot of time being annoyed. So I started thinking about it what is annoyance? Just a little bitty sip of some much bigger poisons: Anger. Hatred. Wrath. Murder. And God isnt silent on those topics. Ephesians 4:31 (NKJV) Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. Colossians 3:8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. Galatians 5:19-21 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 John 3:15 Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. Ouch. Busted. But getting annoyed isnt so bad is it? Well, a little sip of arsenic in your tea wouldnt be so bad either. But keep sipping and youll end up dead. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Annoyance is just a little sip of anger. Compromise is just a little sip of wickedness. Profanity is just a little sip of blasphemy. Selfishness is just a little sip of idolatry. Manipulation is just a little sip of sorcery. You get the picture. But God, in His boundless mercy, is way too interested in the whole of our well-being to leave us that way. So He sent us Someone Who is the antidote to all the poisons of sin.

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace What always amazes me most about God is that when He asks me to do something thats pleasing to Him, He actually gives me the ability to do it (because I obviously cant do it on my own). And, whatever Hes asked me to do is also His best for me. So through this entire process, Hes doing a restorative work in my whole being spirit, soul, and body. My chiropractor and my pharmacist are going to miss me.