By Judy Joseph McSween

Time Out Specialist – Emotional Intelligence, Conversational Intelligence and Spiritual Intelligence Coach.

Our last segment encouraged us to grow in intimacy with the Holy Spirit. This was followed by our celebration of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, upon people from every tongue, race, and nation—a reminder that we have each received the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and that through intimacy with Him, we manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

As Jesus promised in John 14:26: “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom I will send to you from the Father, will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”

Let’s PAUSE and become fully present to this moment. Become aware of your breathing… take a few deep breaths in and out, have your Bible nearby.

In Allen Hunt’s book, Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody, he shares 12 real life stories that demonstrate the transformative power of forgiveness. One story relates the experience of Millie. As I share, I encourage you to consider how the ‘Trini version’ of this story might unfold.

After ten years of marriage and three kids later, Millie leaves her husband to live with another man just a few miles from her marital home. A year later, she acknowledges her error and returns home. Her husband greets her at the front door with open arms, saying “Welcome home”—a clear semblance of the Prodigal Son.

A week after her return, Millie discovers she is pregnant by her ex-lover. She is devastated. Her husband’s response is clear: they will raise the child as their own. Of course, family and friends had questions: How could you take her back? How could you forgive her?

His response was countercultural: “You know, that with all Christ did to forgive me, how could I look at my wife, the woman he gave me to love and say, ‘You know you have done something so horrible, I can’t forgive you?’”

PAUSE—name the emotions that this real-life experience is stirring in you…  How might they lead you to think and act? Are you able to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit amidst the myriad of emotions?

More likely than not, if we were faced with a similar situation, our ego would take the driver’s seat. Our egos, our friends, our family and even our ‘expert advisers’ on social media, might strive to convince us that we must protect ourselves from all possible sources of embarrassment and pain.

They might even name us as judge and jury and bestow on us authority to wield punishment on our partner.

But the husband’s response was rooted in scripture: “You know that with all Christ did to forgive me”… the ultimate love sacrifice, not because we were sorry for our sins, or because our sins were venial, but because God loved us that deeply.

As Colossians 3:13 says: “Bear with one another and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”  By God’s grace, Millie’s husband was able to silence whatever emotions he was experiencing, take off the ego’s cloak and choose a countercultural response—just as Jesus did when He chose the path of the crucifixion.

In Matthew 6:14–15, Jesus teaches: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

This verse establishes a direct correlation between forgiveness and receiving divine forgiveness.

The reality is that forgiveness is challenging. However, perhaps we can make a first step by choosing to be guided by the Holy Spirit and “Do whatever He tells you.”  Just do it!

Contact Judy Joseph Mc Sween to schedule a personal or a group Time Out session judy@timeoutspecialist.com or call

(1-868) 684-9827

Visit www.timeoutspecialist.com

Reflection

Everyone has someone to forgive–who is the person in your life that you need to forgive?

What is the one action that you could take to demonstrate your willingness to forgive? Just do it!