The last laugh…

In this 100th blog, I wondered what the Bible had to say about ‘100’.

Nothing glamourous, as I had hoped. The first one embodied a cynical old man! “Abraham fell face down; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old?'” (Genesis 17:17) I wondered… am I still on the ground laughing at God’s promises? Do I still doubt him when he says he will save?

Then a surprise. The last ‘100’ at the end of the Bible was about Abraham as well! “Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead – since he was about a hundred years old.” (Romans 4:19) Yes, each of us can flounder in impossible situations. So often I do. But it is God who laughs at those impossibilities and difficulties.* He tells us, “I’ve got it. Don’t fear.”

*Psalm 2:4; Psalm 37:13

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash


Moving on…

Someone asked me, “How do you cope with your emotions when someone has been unkind to you?”

“I have a melt-down,” I said, “and then another one. But afterwards, I try to look to God. It’s hard, though, because all my attention is drawn towards that person, reliving the hurt and wanting justice. But as I read my Bible and pray, I find the strength to look away. I can forgive.”

“I suppose forgiveness lasts forever.”

“Not for me,” I said. “Something will happen and it triggers a memory. I’ll have another melt-down, because, an injustice is always unjust. But I can find God again. I can forgive again, and I can move on.”

“The important thing is to move on. Isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

Photo by Jude Beck on Unsplash