Keeping score

Love, "keeps no record of wrongs." Another way to say this is,"Love doesn't keep score." Now this doesn't mean that wrongs done are deemed as OK. It simply means that forgiveness is given to those who offended us. Not only does forgiveness benefit those who are the recipients but also those who give it. Forgiveness is a choice that only the offended can give. We can choose or not choose to forgive.

When we forgive or are not easily offended, we show God's love. God showed His love for us by extending forgiveness through His Son, Jesus Christ. Especially in this day and age where revenge is celebrated, forgiveness and not being easily offended are precious commodities that we can invest in those around us. Like seeds planted deep in the ground, we, as followers of Christ can join our Father in His work, as we cultivate a return of love and life in, not only our lives, but those around us. You may find that forgiveness is truly a game changer.

Anger

According to the Bible, love "... is not easily angered..." (1 Corinthians 13:5 NIV). Once there was a time in my life when I thought I was not easily angered. That was long ago in a galaxy far, far away. Through the years, one of the things that significantly helped in me in addressing anger in my life was realizing anger as a secondary emotion. What I mean by that is anger is often the reaction to another emotion. For me, that primary emotion is fear. This can manifest from feeling out of control or helpless. Anger can also be a reaction to being or feeling hurt.

Love is not easily angered. It's not to say we never get angry, but it's not our automatic reaction when walking in a life governed by God's love. Even when Jesus turned the tables and ran people out of the Temple because they were more concerned with exploiting each other than worshiping God, He then lovingly and compassionately healed those who were blind and lame. It should be noted that Jesus did not burst out in anger at the sight of what was going on at the Temple right away. The evening before His response, He viewed what was going on and chose His course of action for the next day.

Stepping back from a situation doesn't mean we leave all our anger at the door; instead it gives us room to be angry while not allowing that anger to turn into hatred and sin towards another. "In your anger, do not sin..." (Ephesians 4:26 NIV). I'm not saying it's easy, or that I always walk this out real well. What I do know is this is what the Christian is called to do, and if we, as Christians, desire to walk like Jesus, then we must be willing to lay down our anger and offer the same grace Jesus did as He said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34 NIV).