APRIL 22, 2015
A Happy Ending
Be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in
Christ forgave you. —Ephesians 4:32
Read:
Ephesians
4:20-32
A friend told me about
the time he was watching football on TV as his young daughter played nearby. Angered
by his team’s bad play, he grabbed the closest thing and threw it down. His
little girl’s favorite toy was shattered, along with her heart. My friend
immediately embraced his daughter and apologized. He replaced the toy and
thought all was well. But he didn’t know how much his fury had frightened his
4-year-old, and she didn’t know the depth of her pain. In time, however,
forgiveness came.
Years later he sent an identical toy to his daughter when she
was expecting a baby. She posted a photo of the toy on Facebook with the words,
“This gift has a very long story going back to my childhood. It wasn’t a happy
story then, but it has a happy ending now! Redemption is a beautiful thing.
Thanks, Grandpa!”
The Bible urges us to avoid angry outbursts by putting on the
new self, “which was created according to God, in true righteousness and
holiness” (Eph. 4:24). And if we are the victim of anger, God asks us to “be
kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in
Christ forgave you” (v.32).
Restored relationships are not easy, but they are possible by
the grace of God.
Lord, my temper can sometimes run hot. Grant me the grace to
stop and think before I act or speak and the grace to apologize when I’ve hurt
someone. Thank You for the gift of forgiveness.
Repentance and
forgiveness are the glue that can repair a broken relationship.
INSIGHT: In
today’s passage the apostle Paul brackets his words of challenge with the
phrases “putting away” (v. 25) and “put away” (v. 31). Though they are translated
as similar expressions in English, they are two different words in Greek and
speak of an increasing intensity of action. The word in verse 25 tells us to
put off lying, as if taking off a garment and replacing it with a new one
(integrity and truthfulness). In verse 31, however, it is the challenge to “put
away” or to get rid of certain things once and for all.
Source: Our Daily Bread 2012
