Sorry, not sorry. Saying “I’m sorry” can be so hard to do. It was late Sunday afternoon and the sisters on the playground had been having a great time. One of them did something to upset the other one. Each of them wanted to tell me what the other one had done wrong, and neither was anxious to confess her own wrongdoing. The gentle playground scene changed instantly when the squabble began, and the swings … Read more
How do we sound? I remember days of hearing discord in our house when I’d walk into a room and tell a kid, “Listen to yourself! Do you know how you sound?!” Another day, I came home from work talking about someone I’d been in close contact with all day. My teenage son told me he was tired of having to listen to me spout off about this person – and perhaps I should think … Read more
Jacob’s wives: when one wife is best. Jacob had two wives – but he had twelve sons born of four women. Two of the women were the servant girls of his wives. These girls were “given” to him to provide children for the actual wives. Did they realize that one wife is best? The story line tells us that two sisters were given to Jacob as wives one week apart. Jacob worked seven years for … Read more
Forgiveness ≠ Trust Forgiveness is not trust. Trust usually comes later, when true restoration takes place. When you forgive someone, it does not mean you trust or respect them. And, while “love covers a multitude of sins,” trust doesn’t. Here’s why. Forgiveness breaks the chains of pain, anger, bitterness, and revenge. Forgiveness wipes the slate clean for what happened in the past. It does not harbor ill will or attempt to bring up past wrongs. … Read more
My friend Shawn Bailey is a poet and a photographer. Both this poem and the photo are her works of art. She made a bookmark for the gals in our Bible study, probably twenty-five years ago, and I still use the bookmark. I’ve also read the poem many times. The truth in this poem is as true and as real today as it was then. With her permission, I am sharing her poem and her … Read more