Does forgiveness equal reconciliation?

My answer is no… However, I think most people would say yes.

In my humble opinion, to forgive someone merely means you are willing to move on from a hurt that an individual has caused you. It means that you won’t allow an individual’s actions to stifle or hold you back from being true to yourself and the purpose God as planned for your life. You’ve prayed about it and turned it over to God.

Reconciliation, on the other hand, means you are willing to work at re-establishing the relationship you had with an individual before any offenses. It means you are wanting and willing to take the necessary steps to go back to the way things were.

An integral step, that’s commonly overlooked, is repentance. Repentance means to turn away from a certain behavior or action that’s not of God or something that hurts our brethren.

Don’t get me wrong. You can choose to forgive and reconcile over and over with the same person without repentance. It’s up to you. I just think that we should be careful not to judge an individual and say that they have not truly forgiven someone because they choose not to reconcile a relationship.

Forgiving,
~Sonja

Hip Hop vs. Rap

I saw a t-shirt a couple of months ago that read Rap - Lies = Hip Hop. I thought to myself, “WOW! That really sums it up” For years now, I’ve found myself explaining to individuals the difference between Hip Hop and Rap. I’m always surprised to see how many people think they are one in the same. Well, they aren’t…

Quick Tutorial…

Many years ago, when we first began to hear the rhyming syncopated lyrics sitting proudly atop the fast beats and rhythms it was about a social consciousness and awareness. It was about empowerment. It was letting the world know what going on within the heart of the Black community; the conditions in which we were living. Hip Hop was a way to voice political views in a not-so-aggressive way.

Then along came rap with all its lies and degradations. Listen closely to any rapper taking about “swagger” and you’ll hear the lies and misconceptions that embody the song.

For some reason that t-shirt made me think of another equation…

Self Righteousness - Lies = Relationship

You see, one who is self righteous is one who is confident of one's own righteousness. They are especially and smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others. This characteristic is contrary to having a deep relationship with God. It goes against who He is and what He stands for. A self righteous God would not have given His only Son for our opinions and behavior. We are not worth it.

Are you intolerant of others and how they operate? Do you dislike change? Do you feel your way is the ONLY way? If you answered yes to any of those questions then you may be self righteous.

I’ll leave you with this analogy…Hip Hop is to Rap as Relationship is to Self Righteousness. Do you have a relationship or are you self righteous?

In a committed relationship,
~Sonja

Things are never as bad as they could be...

Friday, January 30th, I was driving Southbound on I-35 when traffic got unusually heavy in an odd spot. When we almost came to a complete stop I wondered what was going on. After about 10 minutes of traffic I glanced into the sky and noticed two helicopters hovering near the Illinois exit. I thought one of two things: a police chase had just ended or there was a horrible accident. The later was true.

As I got nearer, I noticed several fire engines and ambulances. I began to pray for the individuals involved in the accident. Then, just as I was to the immediate left of the accident, I saw the unimaginable….a rock hauler had driven over and become lodged on top of a car. The Fire Rescue Officers on the seen had the jaws of life out and were working feverishly to free the individuals trapped in the vehicle.

I immediately offered up a prayer for those trapped and thought about how trivial my current challenges seem in comparison. I instantly thought that things can always be worse. While I’m currently in what I feel to be a difficult season, I quickly realized that it not as bad as it seems. I began to give thanks for my circumstances and see them as a part of life that will bring positive change. I now see them as opportunity for growth. More importantly, I now know that my circumstances will be used to minister to others who find themselves in a similar situation…

Once I made it home and had a chance to look at the news, I saw that there were 2 individuals trapped in the car and they both made it out alive. WOW!!! Thank You JESUS!!! I was so happy!!! I'm sure none involved in the accident woke up that morning thinking that they were going to be in a horrible accident.

Even in that situation, things weren’t as bad as they could have been.

Believing it's all OK,
~Sonja