A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer. All
of a sudden, he said out loud, "Lord grant me one wish."
Suddenly the sky clouded above his head and in a booming voice the
Lord said, "Because you have TRIED to be faithful to me in all
ways, I will grant you one wish".
The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii, so I can drive over
anytime I want to."
The Lord said, "Your request is very materialistic. Think of
the logistics of that kind of undertaking. The supports required
to reach the bottom of the Pacific! The concrete and steel it
would take!
I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for
worldly things. Take a little more time and think of another
wish, a wish you think would honor and glorify me."
The man thought about it for a long time. Finally he said, "Lord, I wish that I could understand women. I want to know how they feel inside, what they are thinking when they give me the silent treatment, why they cry, what they mean when they say "nothing"
and how I can make a woman truly happy" ...
After a few minutes God said, "You want two lanes or four on that bridge?"
--Author unknown.
One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a
sack of potatoes. For every person we'd refuse to forgive in our life,
we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put
it in the plastic bag. Some of our bags, as you can imagine, were quite
heavy.
We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one week,
putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat when driving, next
to our desk at work.
The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a weight we
were carrying spiritually, and how we had to pay attention to it all the
time to not forget, and keep leaving it in embarrassing places.
Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty slime.
This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our pain and
heavy negativity!
Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person, and
while that's true, it clearly is also a gift for ourselves!
So the next time you decide you can't forgive someone, ask yourself...
Isn't MY bag heavy enough?
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive
him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. - Mark
11:25
-- Author Unknown. Message distributed by Sermon Fodder.
Today's devos: !WordWalk! - "Hassles 'n Headlines!?!" ... Bible Bytes - "A Columbus Day Shopping Spree!!" 
A Fun, Faith 'n Funny Bone Feature 
