Advent – A Week of Sundays – Freedom in Forgiveness

Greetings Dear Reader,

On this journey I carry so many things I do not need.  The weight of things hinders the journey and I am learning to leave things behind.  Avalon was telling me about her journey on the Appalachian Trail and the things she thought she would need and how she learned along the way to leave them behind because even though she may have wanted them they were too burdensome to carry.  I have another friend, Laura who has left almost everything she has to move half way round the world and get training to help her on the journey to Christ. 

Forgiveness is a very healthy form of leaving.  When I forgive I leave behind the anger and bitterness that cloud my following Christ.  I need to ponder every burden I carry that is the result of not forgiving others.  I know that I currently am wrestling with forgiving someone who has wronged me intentionally out of selfishness.  The freshness of the hurt bubbles up and infects other things.  I need to leave this behind so that I have freedom from the burden of resentment and anger.

Forgiveness is one of those things that unburdens us on the journey.  That we can dedicate an entire week of Advent to pondering it pushes me to examine who I need to forgive.  Leaving behind the things I carry that are negative lightens my spirit so that I may instead invest love and kindness in others.

The Things We Leave Behind – Michael Card

There sits Simon, so foolishly wise

Proudly he's tending his nets

Then Jesus calls, and the boats drift away all that he owns he forgets

More than the nets he abandoned that day,

He found that his pride was soon drifting away

It's hard to imagine the freedom we find from the things we leave behind

Matthew was mindful of taking the tax,

Pressing the people to pay

Hearing the call, he responded in faith followed the Light and the Way

Leaving the people so puzzled he found,

The greed in his heart was no longer around and

It’s hard to imagine the freedom we find

From the things we leave behind

Every heart needs to be set free, from possessions that hold it so tight

'Cause freedom's not found in the things that we own, 

It's the power to do what is right

Jesus, our only possession, giving becomes our delight

We can't imagine the freedom we find from the things we leave behind

We show a love for the world in our lives by worshipping goods we possess

Jesus has laid all our treasures aside "love God above all the rest"

'Cause when we say 'no' to the things of the world

We open our hearts to the love of the Lord and

It’s hard to imagine the freedom we find from the things we leave behind

Oh, and it's hard to imagine the freedom we find  from the things we leave behind

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store."