• Home
  • About
    • Telling THE Story
  • Speaking
    • Take Away & Content
    • Reviews and News
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Fun Footage
  • Writing
    • Ginger’s Book
    • Blog
  • Contact

Ginger Ciminello

  • Home
  • About
    • Telling THE Story
  • Speaking
    • Take Away & Content
    • Reviews and News
    • Audio
    • Video
    • Fun Footage
  • Writing
    • Ginger’s Book
    • Blog
  • Contact

Dear Shannon.

July 1, 2011 Posted by Ginger Ciminello Hindsight

A two week series on learning from the past and looking to the future…

Dear 30-year-old Shannon,

I know that you have a hard time letting things go.  You always remember the offenses against you.  You justify it saying you have a great memory, where in reality you are harboring bitterness and pent up anger.  I know that many have wronged you, and you believe that they deserve to pay for the injustice heaped upon your life.  How dare they do these things to you?

You know that the Bible says we must forgive others as we have been forgiven.  Yet you can’t seem to live out that principle.  You can sit still as your mind starts racing about this friend, that family member, and the laundry list that goes with each one.  You have a critical, fault finding spirit and are quick to blame others.  You are PROUD.  You have a hard time fighting the spiritual battle in your head as the enemy seeps discontent into your thoughts.

You don’t know how to truly forgive.

Forgiveness means that you fully release the offender from his debt.  It means fully cleaning his record.  You need to quit being everyone’s jailor!  You have kept your loved ones in bondage for too long.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as god in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

As Christ forgave you. You were once dead in your transgressions and now, through His grace, you have been extended life in Him.  Because of God’s mercy, God has forgiven everything in me so that I can look more like Christ.  And I deserve nothing, yet I have been promised paradise.  So who am I to not extend that same grace to others around me, much less believers in Christ?

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.  Only, I think, by remembering where we stand, by meaning our words when we say in our prayers each night, ‘Forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’  We are offered forgiveness on no other terms.  To refuse it means to refuse God’s mercy for ourselves.” – C.S. Lewis

Let go of the laundry list.  You want God’s mercy, so in turn you need to extend it to others.  Be freed from bondage of holding others captive in your thoughts.  Show a lost world how to truly love one another in Christ.  You are sending the wrong message to people who are watching you.

“Right relationships – especially within the family of God – are one of the most powerful means of communicating the gospel to a lost world.  Our God is a reconciling God, and when believers cannot get along with each other or fail to resolve conflicts biblically, we actually discredit the gospel.  When God’s people are reconciled to each other, we demonstrate the power of the gospel and make it believable.”  From Seeking Him by Nancy Leigh Demoss.

I know you didn’t realize you were discrediting the gospel by your actions, but now that you are extending grace to others as you have been given, you can now exhibit the gospel more accurately.  Jesus came to save out of love, not because he wanted to keep a checklist of everyone’s right and wrongs.

“If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.” Psalm 130:3-4

The Lord doesn’t keep a record of my wrongs, so I shouldn’t keep a list of others.  So relax, let go, and take a deep breath.  Remember the grace that you have received daily, and you just might surprise someone, even yourself, at how easy it is to get over things.

Grace and peace,
Shannon

Some call me ‘Shannon’, others ‘Shani’, and sometimes the occasional ‘babe’.  But the word I hear the most everyday is ‘Mommy’.  I have been married to one of the tallest men I know for 11 years and have been dappling in motherhood for the last 5 years.  We are currently chartering into the world of adoption and praying for God’s Will in expanding our family.  I am one of 12 Americans that have never been on Facebook, though I do update my blog on a random whim.  I love yoga, greek yogurt, 6:30am hugs from my son, date night with the hubby, and asking complete strangers how I can pray for them.  In the meantime, I am just trying to live life to the fullest for His Glory.

Tags: ForgivenessGuest PostHindsightShannonogans
Share
0

About Ginger Ciminello

Ginger is a work-from-home mom of two girls, the wife of a good man, as well as a speaker and writer. Her book, Forget the Corsage, was written to mentor the young women she’s met in auditoriums around the country. She has a deep desire to connect with women of all ages and encourage them to laugh, learn from her many mistakes, and connect with the Lord through a rich study of Scripture.

You also might be interested in

Dear Dani.

Jun 20, 2011

A two week series on learning from the past and[...]

Thursday Tips: Forgiveness

Nov 10, 2011

Yesterday we addressed S’s question regarding forgiveness.  Take a moment[...]

Following

Following

Jan 6, 2012

Kevin East Today I have the honor to be guest[...]

Recent Posts

  • I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Freedom to Rest this Christmas
  • Shine, Poet!
  • All the Things 2015
  • My Anniversary Gift for Year Five: Marriage Counseling

Recent Comments

  • Ginger Ciminello on I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Ginger Ciminello on I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Victoria on I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Annie Parsons on I’ve Got Nothing.
  • Shanna on Shine, Poet!

Archives

  • May 2019
  • December 2017
  • November 2016
  • January 2016
  • October 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • July 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011

Categories

  • Advent
  • Forget The Corsage
  • Friday Finds
  • Hindsight
  • Identity
  • Lent
  • Life Lessons
  • Living His Story
  • Marriage
  • Missions
  • Purpose
  • Questions
  • Random
  • Recommendations
  • Relationships
  • Seasons
  • Speaking
  • Spiritual Growth
  • Thursday Tips
  • Uncategorized
  • Whatever Girls
  • With Joy Retreats
  • Writing

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Contact Us

We're currently offline. Send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

Send Message
Prev Next