Forgiveness

Forgiveness is something I think about every day. How fortunate we are to be called a friend of God, and to be pardoned of all the sin we have committed in our lifetime.

The question is, are you passing it along to others? Or, do you choose to hold grudges on those that have hurt you? Will you forgive those that have wronged you? Will you step up and forgive others as Christ has forgiven you?

Let me share with you the story of ultimate forgiveness, one that I can't just get out of my mind.

The Ultimate Story of Forgiveness

Most of you reading this may know the full story of the crucifixion of Christ, am I right? That story is truly the ultimate in forgiveness in my book, but every now and then, I hear of some others that are truly amazing. 

If you have never read the book, Forgiving the Dead Man Walking by Debbie Morris, then you should. It will take you to a place where all of us should be at some point in our hearts. This is a place where we say, I can forgive because Christ forgave me. 

While we know that in our mind, do we know that and understand it experientially? Again, most of us don't, but we are called to live better than we are right now in this moment. We choose to only do enough to get by and that has to change. 

Debbie Morris was brutally raped, and chose to forgive the man that was her attacker. That is true grace by faith, and nothing that anyone did of their own accord. She extended forgiveness as Christ did, and showed love to an individual that in our minds didn't deserve it or have the right to it. 

If someone raped your child, would it be hard to forgive them? Of course it would be. There has been a saying floating around for many years that says, "forgive and forget", but no one will ever forget horrific acts like that right? 

As a parent you would be hard pressed, and the child will have that imprinted on their memory forever. However, God commands us to forgive and to love others as He has loved and forgiven us. What say you? 

This blog post may be hard to swallow, but we are in a time of crisis when we are called to hold fast, and be what and who God has called us to be. What will you choose to do? 

Will you say yes to God? Or, will you say, "Forget God!"? 

God has called us to live courageously, and nothing less. It's time folks as we move into 2013 for you to do more and be more. God has not called us to live a mediocre life, but one that is helping others, and one that brings others into their own greatness in time. 

Why not share your courage with others everywhere you are? To learn more about how you can wear and share your courage and faith, and be a walking inspiration to others, CLICK HERE now! 

The Breath of Life.....

It's almost like it were yesterday, I could tell you the story that well. Keep in mind I'm 36, and the accident took place when I was just 3 years old.

They say that the memory is a curious thing, but then again, the mind is a powerful thing. Right? Most of us have a story that we could tell like this, where we know God is at work, yet we don't understand the HOW.

The HOW really doesn't matter all that much, but what does matter is that we have FAITH. It seems God has a heart for children, don't you think? What I am about to share with you will prove that, and most of all it will feed your faith and starve your doubts.

The Car Was Definitely Red 

My brother and I are only 3 years apart; he was 6 and I was 3. My mother was a stay at home mom because my father had several Sunoco stations and was gone all day. My mom enjoyed taking us here, there, and everywhere, and of course to see our grandparents often.

We were leaving the house and on our way to the mall that day, and we were driving down a stretch of road in Mason, which is mostly country. It just so happened that it was raining that day and we were driving in a small stretch of residential area.

We were in the historic town of Mason, or what some refer too as "downtown Mason". My mom was almost halfway down the street when a red corvette turned the corner, and he was flying. He flew right into our windshield, like an airplane.

Except....

The car just stopped right at my mom's face, as I was hurling through the air from the backseat into the front seat right in between my mom and my brother. Wait, where is he? I look down, and I see him curled up in the floor, with his head nearly up under the dashboard, or rather the glove box.

Wow, he doesn't look so great. I remember seeing his face with blood running down his face, and blood somewhat around his teeth. I look to my left, up at my mom who is wailing and reaches over to grab my hand, and asks me, "Honey, are you okay?" She can't see my brother, so she asks me to tell her what I see.

Just then I hear sirens, and I see the firetruck. I go over the window, and I am ecstatic that someone is there to let me out because I'm 3, and I don't know what to do.

A fireman reaches out and grabs my brother, as I sit on the ground and talk to him as though he is totally fine. My mom is still in the car, and I believe she is invincible so I think nothing of it. After all, she is mom.

I see a bunch of men hooking up the red corvette, pulling it back off of the hood of our car, and what is left of our car isn't much. Well, it looks like an accordion at this point. My mom is pulled out from the wreckage and stands while they hold her, and try to hold her back.

I look back to my brother because the way she looks scares me. I am still looking at my brother, and watching as the fireman gives him what I now know as CPR.

I hear him say something to the medic about my brother not breathing, and that he is dead. I go into a tirade of tears, but everything is happening so fast, and before I know it, I can hear my brother  coughing but he doesn't  open his eyes, and still looks bad..

I see tears in the fireman's eyes as he uses the word "resuscitation".

I didn't have a scratch, but I was taken in the squad with my mom, and my brother was kept in a separate squad. Maybe life support, I'm not sure yet.

My mom's nose was broken amongst some other things, and it turns out the grill of the car came right to her face but it got her good. Today, she looks amazing, in fact she looks my age but she is 67.

So, what about my brother? Today, he is 39, married, and has 3 little girls.

My mom tried to call the Butler County Fire Department and Police to find the man I called "Brad", so that she could thank him, for saving my brother's life. Mind you, this was only one month after the accident.

They had no record of "Brad" ever working there, nor on the police force. I saw the photograph of the station wagon at the junkyard later in life, and it was then I recounted the entire story to my mother who could not believe I recounted  everything as it occurred for the first time in years., I am 36. Wow.

By the way, my mom keeps that picture as a reminder that God is everywhere, and He sends His angels wherever He desires. He loves his children, and at that moment I had no other belief other than that my brother would be alive and well, and my brother was my best friend.

I believe God honors that child like faith.

Don't EVER lose it. 

Touched by A Veteran Angel

I never really thought about it much until recently, but God always puts the right people in the right places, at the right time. We can pray, we can go to church, and we can study the Bible, but at the end of the day, do we really believe and live what we say we do believe?

You don't know me, and we may never meet, but that doesn't matter all that much. In fact, it doesn't matter at all. We live on the same planet, and sleep under the same stars and the same sky, and for that matter, we can all have similar experiences. 

Let me share a story with you.

God's Attention to Detail Even When it Rains 

A few weeks back I went to meet my mother for dinner, and the weather was less than desirable. I had been in a dark place, struggling with the fact that I have had multiple miscarriages, and the most recent one was only a few months behind me.

I was doing better, but it would hit me every now and then when I would see a baby, baby furniture, baby clothes, and see everyone's cute baby pictures on Facebook. Yep, that was the worst, and everyone around me just kept having babies.

I arrived at Red Robin, got out of my car, and just as I had opened my door to get out, I turned to see a young couple playing with their little one. He was so cute, had just started walking, and it started to rip my heart out, and tears filled my eyes, and as I turned to walk toward the door, I ran smack into a tall man!

Talk about awkward!

I looked up into his face, and time stopped. All I could do was see his face, and his eyes were smoldering, with the rain just falling softly. He started to apologize for running into me, "Ma'am, I am so sorry I didn't mean to startle you, but I need your help. I am a veteran, and I met a friend here for dinner, and well, he is gone. Here is my ID, I work at the Air Force base, and my wife is at home. I need gas to get to Centerville, Ohio do you know where that is?"

"Yes, I sure do" I said.

"Could you spare ten bucks just so I can have enough gas to get home? I drive an SUV, so that is about what it will take for me to get home" he said.

"Um, well I don't carry cash, but if I have tons of change in my purse. In fact, my husband laughs at me because he asked me what I would do with all that change. I simply told him that someone will need it one day!"

Man, was I right! I had no idea it would happen like this. I dug into my purse and started looking for change, and just doled it out as he stood by my car.

He thanked me over and over, and then it came up that my husband was a coin dealer as I joked about him looking at all of my change, all of the time! He laughed as I tell him that my husband buys from tons of Colonels at the Air Force Base in Dayton.

He then proceeds to tell me as we exchange conversation, that he knows where my husband to used to work, and that his dad still goes there often.

We smiled, and just kept laughing as we stood in the cold rain. Laughter ensued, and then....he asked me the age old question.

"How can I find you  so I can pay you back?" he said.

"Just do me one favor sir. If you run into someone in need, help them out as I have helped you and pay it forward". He nodded and smiled.

Then he said, "Tim, that's my name, thank you so much Tammy".

How did he know my name? I never told him? There is only one way he could have known.

God.

God can do all things, and yet we doubt Him. Buy that person a cup of coffee, give that man on the corner $5 or whatever you have in your  pocket, because if he buys beer that is on him, not you.

After all, God has not called us to do anything less than live courageously.