Last night, as I swallowed the raw oyster on the half shell, I knew one more item could be scratched off my bucket list...and glad that getting sick from the raw oyster would not be one of them!
Here are a few adventures that I enjoyed with my family last summer...
 |
| Zip-lining in a Mexican jungle---Summer 2010 |
 |
| Spelunking in a cave---Summer 2010 |
My list seems to grow, rather than shrink. Every time I cross through a new adventure, I seem to add another. You might ask, what's on my bucket list?
- Some are tasks that I fear---One day, I hope to join my husband as he boards the boat to go scuba diving in the Caribbean, instead of just waving from the shore.
- Some are places I have yet to travel---Kissing my husband on a gondola ride in Venice, Italy.
- Others are things I haven't found the time to complete---those darn scrapbooks!
- OR things that I am still trying to learn---mi espanol es todavia muy pequeno.
However there's one thing that I recently added to the list, that I already know how to do. I'm just not ready.
Forgiveness
Recently, I was told something so hurtful. Just down right cruel and painful...and it had to do with the way my son was treated by a person whom I trusted. My friend cried, as she told me what she had witnessed. Nothing illegal. Just mean. Like kicking-a-person-when-they-are-down kind of mean.
My heart still aches at the thought of this behavior.
My first thought was to confront this individual.
My next thought was to somehow hurt him, like he had hurt me and my child.
Revenge
No.
Revenge has no place on my bucket list.
After the initial shock wore off, I knew what had to be done. What God calls us to do, which is forgive.
The bible tells us, in Colossians 3:13,
"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (NIV)
Forgiveness takes time. So I know it won't happen overnight.
But I do know that with God's help, I will one day be able to cross forgiveness off my list, too.
Wonderful, wonderful post. This is something that touches all of us. I know when someone hurts my children that has been my most difficult to forgive. But it is just vital, both for you and your child, so you can both heal and move forward. Another thing I have learned is that forgiving does not mean you (or your child) continue to set yourself up as a victim. A great opportunity to teach all of this to your son. Another thought on forgiveness is that your anger may pop up again and sometimes we just need to keep lifting it up to God. Most important, do not allow that anger to really settle in....don't give it a home and allow it to turn bitter. You are so right, that is what resentments are made of and Jesus really does warn us of that. Thank you for this post, always timely. I really like the idea of the bucket...there are just so many things yet to do and work on. In many ways I just feel like an infant or toddler in learning how to really live.
ReplyDelete