Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
(Colossians 3.13
NRSV)
Phyllis Tickle tells of a vacation she had with her two teenage children, Sam, Jr., age 16, and Rebecca, age 13. One hot summer's day the two siblings were fighting with each other. Neither could move without offending the other. That evening Rebecca tried to physically evict her brother from the best TV chair and instead broke the crystal and the band of his new birthday watch. She was too stunned to move. Sam, Jr. was angry. Phyllis said you could see the anger written on his face. Suddenly, though, the fury receded, changing into a look that can only be described as a kind of startled surprise. "It's OK," he said, "I think I know where I can get it fixed tomorrow." Peace returned for the first time in days to that household.
The next morning during breakfast Phyllis asked her son what had happened in that moment of change the night before. He ducked his head as if he were somehow still uncomfortable. "Nothing," he said, "I was just so hurt. I couldn't hate her enough. So I had to forgive her--and it surprised me."
Dear God, forgive me of my anger, as I forgive those who hurt me. In Jesus name, Amen.
Ron Newhouse
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