November 13, 2008
Dear Jesus:
I remember when Rafe and I were preparing to get married, one thing they told us was "Do not go to sleep angry with each other. If you have a fight, make-up before you go to sleep."
I cannot say that we have followed this advice during all the years that we have been married. But definitely, on those times that we have gone to sleep upset at each other, I have felt a heavy weight within my heart.
Jesus, You were scourged, whipped, blasphemed, laughed at, and crucified. Instead of getting angry at us, You loved us so much that You asked God to forgive us. You taught us that it was better to love than to hate. You told us that in order to experience Your Love, we need to remove anger from our hearts.
We need to look inside our hearts before we get angry at others. But many times we are afraid to examine our consciences deeply, lest we may not like ourselves very much. We don't like silence and being by ourselves because we come face to face with our weaknesses. We hide behind the curtain of noise, amusements, and distractions. If we met ourselves in others, would we like them?
If we recognize our faults and our short-comings, we would not be so quick to point fingers. The harder we are on ourselves, the easier we will be on others. Unless we discipline ourselves, we will never be able to feel compassion and love for others. Our selfish self is what causes us to be unkind to others. Once we realize the magnitude of our sins, and we recognize that You love us in spite of our sins, and You truly forgive us, we would pardon others that have done something to hurt us.
There is no limit to forgiveness. In the 33 years that Rafe and I have been married, we have had to forgive each other countless times. If we hadn't, our marriage would have ended a long time ago. You also forgive us over and over, because in Your Eyes, forgiveness is infinite. Thank You, Jesus, for loving us so much, and teaching us that is better to love than to hate.
I love You, Jesus!!!
November 13, 2017
Dear Jesus:
Last week, I was selected to be a juror in a "road rage" case. The defendant got upset at another driver simply because the other driver cut in front of him. He was driving "too slow" on the left lane of the turnpike. Since he did not move out of the way, the other driver passed him, and cut in front of him. This made him upset, so he began to flash the lights at the other driver. When the other driver began to brake instead of getting out of his way, he drove beside him and shot at his car. He missed hitting the wife who was asleep on the passenger seat by two inches. His uncontrolled anger will now land him in jail. He destroyed his life, as well as the life of his wife, his three children, and the rest of his family.
Excessive anger without control can get us in serious trouble. We cannot live our lives with the idea of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth." Revengeful anger can destroy our lives. We may not end up in a real jail cell like the defendant in my jury duty case, but we may end up locked up within an inner jail cell that we have built inside our hearts. Anger that we carry with us for a long time, little by little will suffocate us. And it will eventually isolate us from You. We simply cannot love You if we hate one of Your children. We need to remove anger from our hearts in order to be able to make room for love.
Jesus, I would like to pray for the victims in my jury duty case, to find it in their hearts to forgive so they can live in peace. I would like to pray for all drivers so that we can control ourselves when someone is driving too slow or when they cut in front of us. May we never find ourselves in such a predicament. I would like to pray for the defendant so the time in jail will help him turn his heart from hate to love. I would like to pray for his family so they can accept and forgive. And I would like to thank You because the case was resolved without us jurors having to give our verdict. Even though the defendant was clearly guilty, I'm so thankful that I did not have to make that call.
Jesus, help me to always fill my heart with love so that there is never any room for hate.
I love You, Jesus!!!
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