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Forgiveness without repentance is selfish and unwise.How’s that for an opener?
But I only said it because it’s true.
Forgiveness without repentance kills dogs. Not just people.
Yeah, if you won’t apply the proper way to forgive, to and for you, won’t you at least save the little puppies. And before you think I’ve gone completely bonkers, let me show you an example of how this claim is true. But not just any old random example. No, this actually happened to some people Elgielene and I know.
Yesterday, she got a text message from a friend who basically said something like, “Call me when you can. Something tragic has happened.”
Naturally, as you might imagine, that sparked our curiosity. And we hoped it wouldn’t be a message this friend’s husband had died. Or something awful like that.
And the reason our first guess went to the friend’s husband is because he works for the sheriff’s department in the county where he lives. So, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to think something awful might’ve happened to him in the line of duty.
As it turns out, you could say something DID happen to him in the line of duty.
But not his typical county sheriff’s duty.
No, he simply took the family dog, a cute little rescue dog named Lily, out for her morning constitutional. As he walked her down the street, he noticed a guy far down the block eyeballing him in a strange way. Of course, being in the police force, he’s more tuned in to strange behavior than most. But he kept moving along, slowly, as Lily sniffed and did her doggie stuff.
Suddenly, the guy down the block jumped into his car, peeled out of the driveway, turned in the direction of our friend and his dog, and peeled out again. He flew by the first time. But he screeched to a stop at the other end of the block, did a loud turn around, and flew by our friend and his dog again.
Of course, now our friend was on full alert. But, in situations as unpredictable as that, it’s not clear what to prepare for or avoid. Sure enough, the wackadoo spun his car around and headed right back at our friend and little Lily one more time.
But this time, the creep turned his car right at them. And our friend jumped off the sidewalk into a wooden fence, while, at the same time, trying to grab Lily. Unfortunately the driver was upon them so fast he scraped across our friend’s left arm and leg. And the force of that impact, which caused some serious injuries to our friend, knocked off the creep’s mirror. But worse than that, Lily was literally flattened.
This all took place a couple of weeks ago.
But the horrible vehicular murder attempt was only the beginning of our friends’ troubles. Because, now, they’re discovering, firsthand, how America no longer has a justice system. Now, it’s JUST A SYSTEM.
And they’re mired in a legal battle to punish a guy who has already been “forgiven” of several previous devious deeds. Yep. Those forgiven deeds, which required no repentance or remorse from the perpetrator, directly led to our friends’ dead dog. You can see it another way, if you choose to, but only if you’re comfortable with being wrong.
Yes, there are so-called “lawyers” working to get the scumbag driver cleared of all charges.
Uh-huh. They’re working to see that he’s not punished. And unpunished crimes ALWAYS lead to more criminals.
Our “open” border with Mexico is a daily illustration of that fact. But, no big deal right? Who cares?
OK, there are a lot of people who would say I talk a mean streak about the problems, but I don’t offer viable solutions. Of course, those are people who never read or hear solutions I’ve written and spoken about. But, to them, I offer this first “step in the right direction.” Whatever we’ve been doing for 50 years (and longer), stop doing THAT.
Yeah. Just stop what we’ve been doing. Because it has NOT worked. And it has zero hope of success. Because you can’t layer law after law after law and expect people to keep the law. Human history proves that.
Circumstances, laws, money, and policies don’t change you.
You only change when your heart of hearts changes. And it can only change when you let the one who created your heart be your guiding Light.
Every day you’re closer to the time when you won’t have the freedom to choose anymore. And this isn’t like a marketing ploy of scarcity. It’s a fact. You’re gonna reach the end of your days, here on Earth. And then you’ll be somewhere else. That location depends on whether you ask for forgiveness or not. But, remember, you can’t try to get forgiveness without repentance.
After all, if you’re not sorry for hurting yourself and others, why should anyone else be sorry for you?
Think about what I’ve shared with you as you walk your dog today. Or as you sit in your favorite sidewalk café enjoying your favorite treat. Or even as you’re shopping at the local farmer’s market. Whatever you might be doing today, it might be the last day you’ll be doing it. Our friends’ story is an example of how quickly everything can change. So, that’s why I said this in a song…
Give Me The Light
Well, the light shines, and it’s coming from above.
I can’t ignore it because I know deep down it’s Love,
And it shows me that the time is close at hand,
And I’m beginning to think I might just understand.
I’ve waited so long for the perfect time and place,
And made a whole lot of mistakes I can’t erase.
Destined to live in darkness I supposed,
But you can’t see the Light when your eyes are closed.
So gimme the Light oh give me the Light of Your Love.
Gimme the Light. I wanna see how good it can be.
Gimme the Light oh give me the Light of Your Love.
And gimme the Light that truly sets this blind man free.
Well, I daydream, and I do my best to fly,
But something holds me; it doesn’t matter how I try.
Oh, but someday, when You say the time is right,
I know I’ll fly up and live forever in Your light.
repeat bridge & chorus…inst…repeat chorus twice
© 1984-1998 Tony Funderburk
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