Forgiveness

I must be getting back in the grove. I feel like I took a long coffee break when I left last night and then turned right around and came back.

I've also decided that e-mails are like cute, fluffy, little bunnies. Put two together and you get ten more. You delete six and fifteen more appear. What did I do to deserve this?

Wednesday, 7/13. The first thing Dr. Caner said this morning when he took the pulpit was, "This is not the sermon I had planned to preach." He then told the story about his conversion to Christianity at the age of 18 and how is father condemmed and disowned him when told the news.

His father never spoke to him again. Even when Dr. Caner married and had children, his father still refused to come around. On his death bed, his father carried on the grudge. Of course this devastated Dr. Caner for years, at least until he realized that it was up to him to put it to rest. Even though his father was dead, he let go of the hurt and forgave him.

This sermon hit close to home for me because of the baggage I carry in life. There are people I need to forgive and get on with my life. That evening, Dr. Caner apologized for the losuy sermon he had preached in the morning. He mentioned that he didn't know why he had changed at the last minute.

Maybe he didn't know why, but I felt like his words were meant for me. I couldn't help but cry for all the years I'd lost to bitterness. I don't want to become a bitter, hateful old woman like my nother. My father went to his grave hating everyone and everything around him. Yes, there was a reason why Dr. Caner changed his sermon that morning. It was for me.