forgive.

"You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong." Proverbs 17:9

 Let's face it. No relationship on earth is perfect. Maybe you're arguing with a friend or don't understand the things they do sometimes. Perhaps they carelessly say mean things about you or gossip about other people or are just unhappy.

The thing is, Jesus came to earth to show us something. Show us what? Love.

When all is said and done, do you really want end your life remembering the hurtful way you ended a friendship with one of the people important to you most? Because there's another way, the way that Jesus showed.

Forgive. That was the whole purpose of Jesus' trip down to planet Earth, you know. Forgiveness. I mean,  come on -- Jesus did nothing wrong. At all. He was innocent.

[innocent] without sin; pure

I know it's easy to feel that way -- "But it's not my fault! I did nothing wrong -- why should I have to apologize and say sorry?"

You don't think Jesus was thinking the same thing? Matthew 26:39,

Going a little ahead, he fell on his face, praying, "My Father, if there is any way, get me out of this. But please, not what I want. You, what do you want?" 

He fell on his face. Just before that, it says that Jesus' soul is, "Overwhelmed with sorrow." How sad He must've been feeling. Knowing that He was about to be nailed to a cross and die this painful and even humilating death -- for something He hadn't even done.

AKA the things you and I do that we pretty much deserve to die for. Only we don't have to, because Jesus took our place. Um, yeah, that's right -- He didn't call out to us as we were fighting for breath in the storm, in the middle of the ocean tugging us down, holding out a hand to pull us back in. He took our place.


So think about it. It's hard to forgive, especially if we're not seeing ourselves in the wrong. But sometimes we just need to move on. Forgive and forget. Learn and Not Regret. Okay, okay, I only wrote that because it rhymed.

"You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong." Proverbs 17:9

There's that verse again. Read it -- out loud. Ask Jesus to help you. Because believe me. He knows. He understands, He cares, He forgives... He loves.