The Only Antidote for Revenge

Are you mad at someone right now? Have you ever been?

Alright, it’s a guaranteed “yes” for the second question; but it’s very possibly a “yes” for the first question, too.

They should pay for what they did. Right? Face it, we just tend to feel that way in some fashion – at least for a moment or two – when something happens that makes us upset.

But, what does that really gain for you, if the other person suffers? Nothing.

It doesn’t change the hurt that you feel. It doesn’t change the lack of peace from what happened.

So, what can change that?

Photo credit: Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune

Longtime Chicago sports national anthem singer Wayne Messmer was shot in the neck in April 1994.

Read this article for the full story. Here’s an excerpt:

Around 1:50 a.m. after a Blackhawks victory that April night, Messmer walked the 1 1/2 blocks to his car after leaving Hawkeye’s Bar and Grill at 1458 W. Taylor St. When Messmer attempted to drive away, two men approached the vehicle and one, a 15-year-old, shot him in the neck from point-blank range with a 9 mm pistol.

Somehow, Messmer drove back to the bar where he stumbled out of the car and into an ambulance that rushed him to Cook County Hospital. The “Save The Children Foundation” tie they used to stop the bleeding from Messmer’s neck until they reached the hospital now hangs in a frame on a wall at his home. After 10 hours of surgery and 2 1/2 days asleep, Messmer woke up feeling like the luckiest man in the city. One doctor later told Messmer he had no medical explanation why he survived, and with his voice intact.

“When you get that close to death, you get past why did it happen and ask why did I get better? What am I going to do with this gift?” said Messmer, who also still has the leather Blackhawks jacket with a bullet hole in the collar. “It was nothing short of miraculous. So I can’t possibly have a day I’m not totally grateful.”

With that spirit of gratefulness, Messmer visited the men who were responsible for his injuries and personally forgave them. This is what he had to say about that experience:

“I discovered that the only antidote for revenge is forgiveness.”

Amen. Thank you for the inspiration, sir.

Have a great day.

Life Changer

“God is a life changer and today, your life can be changed!”

Heard those words at church one morning. They’re so true!

Whatever your situation is right now and whatever difficulties you may be facing, God can – and will – step in to change it for the better. All you have to do is let Him.

If you’ve never asked God into your heart before, you can do it today. If you don’t know what to say, this can get you started.

God, please forgive me for sinning against you. I’m sorry for trying to live life on my own, apart from you.

Thank you, Jesus, for dying in my place and taking the punishment for my sins for me.

LORD, please come into my heart and be the leader of my life.

Please guide my steps, take my burdens and show me Your way. Thank you for loving me.

Amen.

If you’ve prayed that prayer, you have a reward coming to you that you can’t even imagine. It’s an eternal reward and it can never be taken away.

As for what you might be dealing with in life, keep praying about it. You don’t need specific words to say, just talk to Him – and even better, take time to listen to Him.

Get plugged into a local church, where folks can pray with you and for you. Doing this has made a huge (positive) impact in my life, that’s for sure. 🙂 

God sees where you are and He cares about you. You’re not in this alone and you’ll make it through this!

Have a great day.

Hero

This post is dedicated to my hero.

He found a way to love me when no one else possibly could.

He’s shown me the difference between right and wrong.

He’s always forgiven me when I’ve messed up.

He’s been everything to me when I’ve had nothing.

He’s picked me up when I’ve fallen.

He’s given me peace when I’ve had none.

He’s never left me…no matter what the circumstances have been.

He is all of these things and more, and continues to be because he was selfless and accepted an undeserved death so that I might live.

Anyone out there looking for a hero? Looking for an example of humility, grace, kindness, decency, mercy, dedication, and unconditional love?

Listen to this song. Read the words on the screen. I hope you’ll have found one after you do that.

‘With love He gave His life so we could be free.’

#ThankYouJesus

Be Good to People

‘Be good to people.’
– Joyce Meyer

Simple, right? Well yes and no.

It’s a very basic command of course. Unfortunately it’s one that doesn’t get followed enough.

Talking about people behind their backs, not helping someone who needs it, doing things only for ourselves, passing judgment on others…there all all kinds of ways we fall short of living up to this.

But then again we are just humans. We’re not perfect. But Jesus was, and is, and He forgives us when we ask for it. Anyone else thankful for that? I know I am.

So just take a minute and remember that we are all brothers and sisters on this Earth and in the process, let’s all remember to be good to people 🙂

Have a great day.

Forgive More

Reading a Facebook post of a friend of mine has this topic on my mind this morning. It’s about forgiving others.

Friends, forgiveness isn’t something that’s optional…it’s required of us. We’re not given the right to hold a grudge, or hold back forgiveness toward others.

After all no one walking this Earth is perfect, but thankfully we are forgiven when we simply ask for it. And so, we should readily offer the same for others.

Forgive more. Condemn less.