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.”

God's Fencepost: Sex, Sex and More Sex!

I love sex.  I always have.  Its raw, carnal, biological draw is coded somewhere deep within my DNA.  I can’t help it – I’m a slave to masculinity and the sweet surrender of passion is my muse.  Chocolate be damned, I’ll take my untamed man every day of the week. . .and I’m positive that I’m not the only good Christian girl who feels this way.

Oooo – this may get uncomfortable for a few of you, but stay with me.

Like many, my religious upbringing ran contrary to my innate sexual instincts.  I was raised in a Southern Baptist church that unwaveringly subscribed to the tenets of “no sex before marriage.”  We were so resolute, in fact, that alternative education (i.e. birth control, biology and condoms) was not only absent from the discussion, but labeled as “evil.”  Our doctrine even went as far as to say that I would be nailing Jesus to the cross again and again if ever I were to succumb to the “cravings of my flesh.”  It was a confusing education, to say the least. 

So did it work?  Was I virgin when I walked down the aisle? 

God’s Fencepost: What’s in a name?

What is in a name?

Labeling oneself a Christian and following Jesus in the age of televangelism, clergy abuse, greed and fundamentalism is a tumultuous journey, to say the least.  It seems that those of us who promote His tenets of tolerance, unconditional love and respect for all humankind are losing the name “Christian” to people who kill abortion doctors, picket military funerals and ostracize gay folks (or any folks for that matter).  Out-screaming the misguided minority can prove to be overwhelming to even the most steadfast of followers.

Even so, many of us have been (and will remain) committed to promoting the love and Wisdom of our Creator through the religious tradition of Christianity. . .no matter how lonely it may feel at times.

God’s Fencepost: Our Children

“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa

Within the span of a mere week we have borne witness to yet another child being murdered without closure or consequence; we have seen an airline refuse to sell first-class tickets to infants and toddlers; we have seen an 11-year old child locked in a dog kennel and found dead after YEARS of clearance by child protective services – all while the number of children who are sold into slavery and/or who are starving to death continues to skyrocket.

Patrick McDonald, founder of Viva Network once said, “Why is it that a child’s death amounts to a tragedy, but the death of millions is merely a statistic?”   Why?  Because our society is slowly chipping away at the value of our children.  When a child can make our clothing in a sweatshop in China, be sold as a sex slave in California, tried as an adult in Arizona and yelled at by a complete stranger for crying in the grocery store – they are all devalued.

God’s Fencepost: Light From A Broken Hallelujah

“Maybe there’s a God above
But all I’ve ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you
It’s not a cry you can hear at night
It’s not somebody who has seen the light
It’s a cold and it’s a broken Hallelujah”
-Lyrics from Leonard Cohen’s, “Hallelujah”


Our brightest light ignites from the most broken of places within our soul; this light has been refined and kept aflame in secret.  It is within this raw flame that our Creator burns most brilliantly and it is by harnessing this flame that we can change the world.

This week has been full of heartbreak.  From the mass murder spree in Norway to Amy Winehouse succumbing to her battle with addiction, many of us have been collectively in a place of mourning.  What appropriate timing then that I should be introduced to the Coloura’s, an extraordinarily brave family who lost their son at childbirth.

God's Fencepost: Resigning From AHR

As many of you know, I have written quite a few articles for A Hollywood Republican over the past year.  I’m not a Republican, but jumped at the chance to explore the possibility of creating common ground; after all, we are all human beings prior to being labeled by our political choices.  My column ended up raising tens of thousands of dollars for charities and heightened awareness for otherwise obscure human interest issues.  I am very proud of all of our accomplishments. 

 

Over the last two months, some of the content written for the site has ventured into territory that completely contradicts the mission about which I have been called to write.

I see my country being torn apart by party politics and regurgitated rhetoric crafted by talking-head analysts looking for a book deal.  I see churches losing membership because of clergy who can’t keep their hands off children and members who, in a pious effort to tower over the “sinners of the world”, belittle and judge entire sections of our population.  I see God’s name being used as a weapon for hate, murder and judgment.  I’ve had enough. 

So with a few loyal readers and the faith of a mustard seed, I have decided to resign from my post and publish from a neutral platform – my own. 

Welcome to “The Independent Contributor.”

**There are a lot of folks out there who need a voice, so help us grow!  My articles are all archived on this page, so if you like what you see and are so inclined, feel free to “like” our Facebook page, “share” our link, or follow our site!  Thanks so much for your support!**