Remember when you looked at them and, with anger coursing through your veins, stated, “I will never forgive you for this?” Maybe the words didn’t come out of your mouth but were emblazoned on your mind with indelible ink. What they did or said, their behavior or inactivity, seemed beyond forgiveness.

When you become a follower of Jesus, there is a time when you need to revisit that moment. Paul’s encouragement to the Christians in the city of Colossae is “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col 3:13). 

It has been said that Christians are to forgive the worst in others because God forgave the worst in them. Just as God is able to forgive your vial, evil, wicked, nasty, awful behavior, you are to do the same with others, no matter how unforgivable the incident may seem. 

For many people, the holiday season is a time of joy, but for others, it will stir those angry feelings. What if you took the message of Jesus and used it as a catalyst to forgive that person?

I am not saying you have to rebuild a relationship. I am not saying their actions were good, and your anger is unjustified. I am asking if you could give the gift of forgiveness to someone to end this year.

You will be amazed that the person you set free is you. 

Start.

Make incremental progress.

Don’t Stop.

Sometimes, what seems impossible simply means it takes longer than most people want to invest.

When ancient map makers reached a place of uncharted territory, they would write “Here be dragons” and draw a picture of the mythical beast. This served as a warning to anyone who dared venture into those areas that they were filled with potential danger, possibly of epic proportions.

We know the rest of the story. Eventually, those lands and regions were explored, and there were no dragons. There were dangers, and people encountered enormous obstacles in taming the wild unknown. But there was nothing that could not be defeated through raw strength.

When we paint a picture of our possible futures, we often dream of doing great things for God. Yet, we have never attempted anything like it, so we label those areas with “Here be dragons.” The potential risks overshadow the possibilities. We give up our dreams for fear of the unknown.

Occasionally, we must be reminded that there are no dragons there, just obstacles we can overcome with faith, strength, and perseverance.   

“The whole town is talking,” my parents used to say. 

That meant that something unpleasant had happened. Someone has done something that created gossip. Phone calls were made. The men sharing coffee in the morning were assigning blame. And people were trying to figure out what exactly went wrong and why. 

Yet it doesn’t have to mean that. Sometimes, everyone talks about the new restaurant, the home being built, or the award someone received.

People are always talking. It can be about negative things or positive things.

When people talk about you, do they have anything to say that shows your faith? When you live differently than the people around you, they will start asking questions and talking to one another.

What would it take for their conversation about you to focus on your faith in Jesus?

Along with preparing food for the Thanksgiving holiday tomorrow, I think it is equally important to prepare your heart. We need to take the time to review all the ways we are blessed, especially as followers of Jesus. 

Here is a little something to get you started. These are some of the things this Christian is thankful for …

1. God. Our Creator, Sustainer, and author of our salvation. He gives our lives purpose and meaning beyond random chance.

2. Jesus. Our Savior and Lord. He died on the cross to pay our debt of sin.

3. The Holy Spirit. He fills our hearts with God, empowers us to live the Christian life, enables us to pray, and comforts us when life seems impossible. 

4. The Church Family. These misunderstood misfits are brought together by our mutual salvation in Jesus. These people taught, blessed, and stood beside me for a lifetime.

5. My family. It may have flaws, but God has blessed many of us with spectacular family members.

6. The Bible. Most believers forget how incredible it is that we have God’s collected writings in a place that we can access at any time.

7. The Internet. This seems trivial, but it is a more significant revolution than the printing press. We can communicate worldwide in seconds and connect with more information than the most extensive library can hold. It is a fantastic time to be alive.

8. Hope. Because of our faith in Jesus, we have the hope of eternal life. We do not have to face our death with gloom and doom. Rather, it is a passageway to a new life and a reward in heaven.

I could go on and on with my personal list, but these are the things Christians share. One or possibly two of these may not be as prominent in the lives of some, but for most of us, they are all enormous blessings. And these are just the start of reasons to be thankful.

As a Pastor, I must confess that I have some favorite people in the Church. These are people who I look forward to speaking with every Sunday. They fill my heart with joy and help me to love the community of God.

1. Anyone who is growing in the Lord. When someone tells me about a passage they read, something they learned, or how they are growing spiritually, it makes my heart happy.

2. Someone positive. Everyone can give you a list of negative things going on in their life. When someone can keep a positive attitude, I love hearing their perspective.

3. The person who always smiles. A good smile is contagious.

4. Those who are praying for me. The Apostle Paul often wrote to Churches and told them he was praying for them. I understand the power of knowing someone is praying for you out of genuine concern.

5. The people who serve with their heart. After all these years, I can tell who is serving on Sunday from a heart full of Jesus and those doing it out of duty. Those who love Jesus have a spirit that brings light and life, and I enjoy being around them.

Sure, there are a few people I am closer to as an individual, but as a Christian and a Pastor, these are my favorite types of people. These are the ones I encounter who encourage me to go home full of joy and thanksgiving after being together as a Church.

We dump coffee down the drain every week after our worship programs are over at Church.

This happens not because we are wasteful but because we plan to have enough for everyone. If anyone walks into our Church, we want coffee for them. As a result, we make a little more than we think we need. 

Every week, we expect people to come and bring guests, and we want to show them hospitality in this little way.

This extra coffee reminds me every week that there are more people we need to reach for Jesus. And our Church is ready to welcome them with open arms and a fresh cup of coffee.

A member of one of the Churches I led used to repeat the same little proverb to me.

He would say, “Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer you get to the end, the faster it goes.”

I did not completely understand it at the time; I simply laughed at his quirky wit. Now, I am starting to comprehend the wisdom.

This year has flown by, and I cannot believe it is almost December. My birthday is not too far away, and I have more than half my life in the rearview mirror. I have completed 30 years of ministry and am only six months away from being at my current Church for ten years. 

Time flies. This seems especially true as you get older.

Since this is true, the biggest question we can ask is not, “How many days do I have left?” Instead, it is, “Am I using my days wisely?”

I hate buying T-shirts. Even if they look good in the store, the question is always, “How much will it shrink when I wash it.” Sometimes, there is none, and sometimes the change is dramatic. It results in a few shirts I wear in the summer, not from Thanksgiving to New Year (if you know what I mean).

Shrinkage can be a problem for clothes. It is a more significant issue when it comes to our hearts.

There are numerous ways to describe what happens to a person over a lifetime. Your heart can become calloused, or it can become black, or it can shrink. It started happy, healthy, and the right size, but it can reduce a little every year. People turn their back on you, and someone hurts you. There is the loss of people you love, and other traumas are like hot water on new cotton; soon, the item no longer fits.

One struggle over the life of a believer is to fight shrinkage. At least I know it is for me.

I wish I could offer you a straightforward solution, but it takes concentrated effort over and over for me. I read my Bible, pray, write a thankful journal, spend time in quietness and reflection, do things I enjoy, try to connect to people who share my faith, and spend time with family.

For some of the shirts I buy, I am meticulous about how I maintain them. No hot water is used; they are often air dry only, and I make every effort not to shrink.

We must use the same energy to ensure our hearts fit us for a lifetime.

There is a long list of things you should do as a follower of Jesus. There is another list of things you should not be doing.

1. Attend every meeting at the Church. Choose one small group and connect with those people.

2. Try to know everyone in your Church. Focus on knowing 6-12 people and have a few quality relationships.

3. Serve in every area of ministry. Everyone should find one or two ministries and do them well. 

4. Fill every night with something religious. If you do something with Church people every night, there is no time left to connect to your spouse, children, or neighbors.

5. Live in constant fear. Do not worry all the time about whether you are doing enough for Jesus. Yes, all of us can do more, but don’t let your sense of obligation overcome your joy.

Choosing to be a Christian does increase your level of responsibility and connection to other believers, but that does not mean you need to live with a sense of being overwhelmed all the time. 

There are two extremes. One is not doing much with your faith. The other is doing too much. I see too many Christians who do not find a happy middle ground. 

Living for Jesus is filled with complex decisions, and your faith in him will be seen in all you do and what you do not do.