God's Fencepost: Forgiving "Superman"

“Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.” - Indira Gandhi

I had a dream the other night that I was flying. . .not flying really, but hanging on for dear life to someone from my past who could soar like Superman.  The world around us was dark and on the ground grew millions of knives that looked like medieval weeds.  My “superman” was someone who once deeply scared my soul, so hanging on was not my idea of a good time. . .but neither was plunging to my death.  So in an effort to mend the brokenness (and not end up a pincushion), I forged into a long overdue conversation/diatribe.  Superman could care less and remained aloof.  I faced a dilemma:  I could either keep hold of this cold, unresponsive person or let go and be killed.  So, I kissed him goodbye and let go. . .

. . .and immediately woke up. . .feeling like I had been beaten with a baseball bat. 

What?!?  What on earth did this dream mean?  I hadn’t felt (or even thought about) this scar in years!

I’m a big believer that God speaks to us through dreams and that if you ask Him (or my sister) He’ll let you in on the riddle.  I prayed and remained still.  It didn’t take long to hit me – my dream was about forgiveness.

 

According to the decent definition given by Wikipedia, “Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.”

No one ever pitches forgiveness as a painful process.  Nope.  They usually concentrate on the euphoric feelings of weightlessness and the freedoms gained after one truly releases the debt – whether the debtor is oneself or someone else.  In the real world, however, forgiveness is like choosing to fall on a sea of knives; it hurts our ego and requires us to relinquish a part of our being to which we have grown comfortably accustomed.  We have to re-learn how to live without the poison of resentment, which can be a disheartening process of “rinse and repeat”!  Matthew 18:21-35 says:

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."

In the middle of The Lord’s Prayer “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” brilliantly reminds us that admitting our faults and releasing our animosity is an important part of our daily commune with God.   

My dream revealed that I unknowingly needed to relinquish the hurt caused by “superman.”  This was a shock - I haven’t thought about this person in years.   But after I realized that the seed of bitterness remained I kissed it goodbye, let go and so, healed the wound.

God is good.

ACTION STEP

Who/what are you hanging onto that you need to forgive and kiss goodbye?  There are millions of people infected by the poison of hurt and resentment - whether it be directed toward (or caused by) ourselves, our families, a tragic event, politics, the government, religion or our neighbor – today is the day to let it go.   

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” – Mark Twain

Usually the donation/tithe section of God's Fencepost relates to the post of the day.  However, there are hundreds of children in Haiti that my friend, Megan Boudreaux, is currently trying to house, feed and educate.  The situation is dire and they need our help.  So, if you're led - please "LIKE" HER FB PAGE HERE and/or to donate" CLICK HERE. 


 

God’s Fencepost is a weekly meditation/devotional that deals with morality and current events.  I, Shannon Ivey, am an openly flawed human being who simply pens what I perceive to be the important reflections of God’s mercy, creativity and unconditional love.  My mother always said that God can use something as simple as a fencepost as a mouth-piece, so that’s what my column humbly aims to be. . . “God’s Fencepost.”