What's Under Your "M" Key?

Typing on my laptop was becoming a challenge, my "M" key wasn't responding. I spent a lot of time going back and hitting it again; over and over, with increased pressure until an "M" finally appeared. It was a gradual progression from an intermittent annoyance to a full-fledged pain in the neck over the period of a few weeks. Grrr! I mentioned this to my husband; I wasn't sure what to do, I didn't know if we needed to take the computer in for a repair or what the solution could be. He looked up a DIY repair site on the Internet and found some video help. The next thing I knew he had the keyboard apart, a small attachment on my vacuum, and was cleaning underneath the key buttons. He reported that there was a fair amount of dust and debris under there, but that the "m" key was, by far, the dirtiest! In a jiffy it was all back together and working like brand new again, it was that easy! Who knew? Isn't this the way it is with our lives too? Isn't it usually something very simple that gets in our way and slows us down, something that is insignificant but becomes monumental? A task that needs completing, a hurt that needs attention or forgiveness? What's under your "M" key that's slowing you down these days? It's amazing how quick and easy the fix can sometimes be!

Life is Good!

Love And Forgiveness

I've been singing one song a LOT  lately, and it's not been productive in the least. Remember BJ Thomas' "Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song"? I haven't been singing it literally, but I have been living it in the figurative sense. Today's devotional passage on forgiveness came at the exact right moment to drive this ditty away. From Jeremiah 31, the 34th verse: "I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more."  The author of today's lesson, David R. Gillespie*, writes: "Can you and I not only forgive but forget as well? It's hard.  We seem to like our grudges and hold onto them.  We seem to like to pull things out of the past to hold over people's heads. Yes, the heart of God is not like that.  God forgives and forgets.  God doesn't keep our iniquity squirreled away to hold over our heads someday.  And we are called to mirror such forgiveness in our own lives and Christ's disciples."  What good news that was for my hungry ears and begrudging spirit this morning. God forgives... and forgets! I feel lighter already, letting go of heavy grudges and living with an open heart will do that. God just winked at me.

Life is Good!

*David R. Gillespie is a chaplain at Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville, SC.  He is also a pastoral counselor and spiritual director at Sacred Journeys, a shared ministry with Christ the King Lutheran Church, where he is a member.