Ernest Hemingway tells the wonderful story of a father and his teenage son who lived in Spain. Their relationship fell apart and the son ran away from home.
After some years the father began the long journey in search of his lost and rebellious boy, finally putting an advert in the Madrid newspaper as a last resort.
His son's name was Paco (a very common name in Spain). It simply read, "Dear Paco, meet me in front of the Madrid newspaper office tomorrow at noon. All is forgiven. I love you."
The next day at noon, in front of the newspaper office there were 800 Paco's all seeking forgiveness!
Who do you need to forgive today? Forgive them! The man or woman who truly walks with God is a man or woman who's merciful and forgiving.
Read this humorous Irish prayer - it's a prayer you should not pray: "May those who love us, love us; and those who don't love us, may God turn their hearts; and if He doesn't turn their hearts, may He turn their ankles so we'll know them by their limping.
"When you refuse to forgive you hurt yourself more than the other person. You weren't built to carry the stress that goes with bearing a grudge!
Indeed there's a mountain of medical evidence to say that holding onto resentment can actually destroy your health. If you think you'll ever need mercy, show it.
Jesus said, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy" (Mat 5:7 NIV). Is God speaking to you about this? If so, deal with it today. Don't put it off any longer!
