"God doesn’t punish us for our sins or hold a grudge for our wrong-doings.” ~ Psalm 103:10
Benita leaped through the trees
with a stick in her mouth. With those
big brown eyes and her creamy-white tail swishing like she’d just gotten all
her birthday wishes at once, Mateo knew that she wanted that slimy stick thrown
again, not once, but over and over.
She’s pure happiness in fur with all the energy and joy of a
puppy, despite being a year-old. An
eternal springtime of sweet emotions, Mateo can’t refuse Benita, she's just too
darn cute. So, he threw the stick again
and again until she gleefully buried her face in Mateo’s lap.
He recalled their first encounter at the shelter, her jowls
almost grinning. Benita had turned away
as if to leave but returned with a tennis ball, dropped it at his feet and stared
straight into Mateo’s eyes. “I won’t
choose a dog today,” he told the adoption counselor. “I think she just chose me.”
One day, Mateo returned home from work and couldn’t find his
faithful pup. It was so unlike her not
to greet him the moment he walked in the door.
He finally found her cowering under a bed. When she saw him, Benita buried her head in
her paws, trying to hide her eyes and become invisible.
It took considerable pleading before she finally came out
from under the bed. Her entire body trembled;
her head hung in shame. She led Mateo
into the dining room where he found broken glass covering the floor. Suddenly he understood.
Benita had broken the hurricane lamp and then hid herself
under the bed, afraid her master would no longer love her.
Mateo gently rubbed behind her ears. “It’s okay girl, don’t be afraid,” he said in
a voice as pure as mountain honey. Soon
the dog relaxed, nuzzled in close sniffed, and gave his face an adoring lick.
"Kisses... why... thank you!"
In Psalm 103, David reminds us that God is incredibly
patient with us. He doesn’t respond in
ways that we deserve, but demonstrates His love for us by His
graciousness. And God doesn’t just
withhold His anger when He forgives us.
He separates us from our transgressions by placing an infinite gulf
between our wrongdoing and us.
He implores us to forgive others too. It’s not easy to forgive some offenses,
especially those that cost us dearly and can even cause us trauma. But He can bring healing to our broken hearts.
We just need to be willing to continue
to ask for His healing touch.
Heavenly Father, oh how our hearts struggle
to forgive wholly and fully. We thank
You for demonstrating such forgiveness by graciously extending it to us. Help us forgive freely and surrender
bitterness. Grant us the strength to
trust Your way. Amen
