Giving Up on Doing the “Chores!”

Advent Meditations “Forgiveness”

Have you ever had chores that were a “MUST”  to do? Ones that you dreaded doing but they were expected so you had no choice but to do them?

Recently I decided I would be ambitious and I would vacuum the blinds. I’d tried using multiple “dusting” tools, even tackled one with Windex and paper towels. That was a disaster because all I ended up doing was moving dust from a nice “spread out pattern” to being all clumped up and wet. That was nasty!

So, in prep for the Christmas tree, I decided I’d vacuum the blinds.

Apparently, there are a lot of windows. Not to mention they are nice and TALL windows that reach almost to the floor. And my 5’2” just couldn’t really reach the top without some massive effort on my part.

I had no idea the impact that cleaning the blinds would have on my lack of upper body strength. At one point – (and yes, I’m whining) – my shoulders ached.

I started out with some gusto, but two windows in I decided I was finished.

What should have been an evening’s work turned into all week. And . . . I was completely going to bail on the upstairs blinds. Who cares if there is some dust?

Chores.

They are arduous, mind-numbing, and sometimes difficult to complete.

But important.

Forgiveness – offering forgiveness – often is something we approach as a “chore.”

Why is that? Why is offering forgiveness so hard?

The human consciousness has a hard time living in the present.

Our minds end up being a time machine to roam in our memories.

When we think about a past that haunts us or the way we felt hurt by someone’s words or actions, it causes us to latch onto those moments. And boy do we LATCH on!

As a result, we get stuck and find it hard to move on. The more we think about the past, the stronger the attachment. The more hardened our hearts and minds become. Thus forgiveness is put off like an unfulfilled chore.

And we suffer because of that. Lack of giving forgiveness turns us into bitter, angry, easily offended people.

This week we will explore the concept of forgiveness. Whether you are a “Christian” or not,  it is a universal principle that offers joy, peace, and having a fulfilled life.

I finally finished the blinds yesterday afternoon. I had to dig in and just “decide” to do it! The dust is gone – at least for a few days.

I invite us to clear out some of the dust in our souls and explore areas and people we need to forgive. It’s a chore worth doing.

Matthew 18: 21-22

Peter got up the nerve to ask, “Master, how many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?”

Jesus replied, “Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven.