Thoughts for the Day

Happy are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees,
who seek him with their whole heart.
who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways....

I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous ordinances.
I will observe your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me.

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

I have great memories of a dog we had many years ago. She was a deaf, albino, dalmatian with one blue and one brown eye, called Oggie, and was completely scatty.

One day, during a period when the electricity supply kept being turned off, we left the house for work. Unexpectedly, my husband returned home at 10am to meet a plumber, and discovered the kitchen full of black smoke, with Oggie hunkered down, her nose to an air-hole at the bottom of the pantry door. We'd left toast in the toaster and when the electricity came on the bread curled and kept burning. Luckily Oggie was ok, but she was always afraid of smoke and shadows after this, and I found it hard to forgive myself for not remembering the toaster!

The verses from Psalm 119, above, remind us how happy are the blameless, but the truth is we are all human and are all prone to sin - sometimes deliberately, sometimes without thought. Because of this we can be ashamed of our actions, and even when we've asked forgiveness of God and others, we can find it difficult to forgive ourselves. But we need to remember this - when we truly repent God forgives us. Who are we not to forgive ourselves? We should forgive, but not forget, since we can learn from the experience!

Wednesday 28th October, follow up thoughts

Lord God,
we ask You to to forgive us
when we sin,
and at the same time
enable us to forgive ourselves,
though not forget what we have done.
Teach us to move on
and learn from our mistakes.
Amen.