Forgiveness

Most of you (or at least most of my 'meddies') would know that I am now back in my hometown for a few days. Yeah, that's right, Tim is back in JB (jay-bee; stands for Johor Bahru, Malaysian city closest to Singapore). I find it amusing that some American/European people I've come into contact with in the past do not actually know where Malaysia is, but when you mention Singapore, they go, "Arr, yes I see.. So Malaysia is a state in Singapore?" *slaps hand on forehead* Newae, the main reason I'm back: For my maternal grandpa's 80th birthday celebration. Other reasons: The usual 3Fs: FAMILY, FRIENDS & FOOD!! :)

I got home at about 8 p.m. Well, nothing much has changed since I last left. Everything seemed like familiar territory, and it was as though I had some feeling of deja vu in a distant part of my cerebral cortex (Pardon me for the medical jargon, that's what one semester of medical school does to a person). Actually to be honest, ALMOST everything except maybe for my dog, which for once did not bark at me when my feet first touched home ground (literally). Yeah, I also had a chat with my parents about budgeting and finances... been a long time since we did that. =>

Some of you might be wondering which mode of transport I used for my trip down to JB (yeah it's down cos JB is literally south of KL). Did I take public transport or drive down solo? Maybe I decided to forgo my secret ability and use my hidden wings? Nope, nothing like that, at least not the part where I had secret wings... and even if I did, it's not like I would confess it openly on a public blog :)

I'll answer that question in awhile... and you'll see why shortly. However, before that happens, I'd just like you to picture in your mind a time when you were really angry with someone for whatever reasons you might have. Got it? Good. Now think about all the things you did or said to that person as an act of vengeance, or wanted to say or do to that person but didn't because you might end up saying or doing something that you would later regret. Sometimes, it could be the Holy Spirit working in us that prompts us to think about the consequences of our actions. For most people, they would probably want to do something to get back at that person, but for the few that get prompted by the Holy Spirit, they would choose the better option, that is to forgive & forget.

To answer the question above, full marks are awarded to those that guessed that I took a bus down to JB. However, it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience altogether. (NOTE: The following is NOT a 'rant-and-rave' opportunity, but rather an in-depth look at a personal real-life situation and how forgiveness can be applied, even in the worst situations.) My aunt and uncle dropped me off at the bus station at around 2.30 p.m., but I had to wait for more than an hour past the scheduled arrival time for the bus to finally show up. When it finally did, we had to board it along the sidewalk instead of at the bus station. The entire bus journey wasn't any better. The ride was bumpy even on the North-South Highway and the bus kept on making those creaking sounds any machine would make if it wasn't maintained or oiled properly. Furthermore, some passengers were angry at the bus driver for telling everyone on board that they only had 15 minutes to eat at a restaurant we stopped by for dinner, but the driver took 45 minutes instead and made everyone wait helplessly for him to return. And to top it all off, for two-thirds of the journey, I had to sit next to a lady with her young daughter, whom I would say was around 5 or 6 years old. At first read this may not seem such a bad thing, but how would you feel if your intention to study on the bus was suddenly disrupted by this young girl who constantly made all those weird, high-pitched sounds that only kids their age could make? I couldn't even get a proper forty winks if I had wanted to. Nevertheless, amidst all these things, I still kept my cool. Not once did I lash out at the bus driver for being late on not one but TWO occasions, nor did I reprimand the girl for disturbing the general peace in the bus. Instead, in my heart, I asked the Lord to help me to silently but surely forgive them. And sure enough, He did.

The Bible says in Colossians 3:13, "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (NIV). Indeed, while we were still sinners, God still loved us and He chose to forgive us even though we did not deserve it. Daniel shared something about forgiveness with me, and it goes something like, "Forgive your brother and settle all disputes with him before the Sun sets." I found Jesus's words in the following verses (taken from Matthew 6:14-15) really applicable here as well, "If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (NIV).

Yeah, so that's my two cents worth on the issue of forgiveness. Oh, there's just one more thing that needs to be clarified, that is: How many times you should forgive other people who repeatedly wrong you over and over again? Luke 17:3 answers that question for us, "Jesus said, "If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent', forgive him." (NIV). So readers, whoever you had in mind whom you were really angry at, I sincerely hope that you've forgiven him or her, as this is what the Lord requires that we do. Restitution is the key principle here!

Before I blog out, I'd just like to leave my readers with a few pictures that show what animals might do to humans if they had their sweet revenge. Enjoy!

~Tim~