Keeping Score
Every once in a blue moon, you collide with someone in life that sparks you. They spark your creativity, your insight, your way of thinking, your passion. Scott is one of those people for me. We worked together years ago doing college ministry and we would have these long talks about Jesus and then go pick up students in my car booming techno music yelling out the windows at strangers “Techno makes everyyyyyything more fuuuuuuuun!” People looked at us like we were crazy and we were. He dared me to sing Whitney Houston’s rendition of I will Always Love You” in the middle of campus at noon in front of hundreds of people in a corndog on a stick uniform and a long blond wig. I did it and I think he still owes me. Scott has a beautiful family and an amazing ministry using his brilliant gifts to continue sparking people’s insight and passion toward that of Christ. Enjoy his thoughts here…- Willow
I have someone in my life who’s a real jerk. In fact, they’re something else but I’ll use “jerk” to keep this post PG.
They’ve hurt me and my family really bad. So bad I’ve seen my parents cry on multiple occasions… which is one of the worst things I can experience as their adult son.
There is nothing more that I want to do than dismiss them and their stupidity and move on. But I sense this voice in my spirit that keeps calling me to forgive them.
Forgive them?
How do you forgive someone who’s hurt you so bad?
Especially one who doesn’t deserve the mercy of you relenting your hatred of them.
On top of that…. what if you find it so hard to let go?…. and what if you don’t know how to forgive?
What freaks me out is that Jesus says, “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.” (Mark 11:26)
So is there a loophole in grace? If we don’t forgive then we won’t be forgiven. What’s going on here….
I asked a friend of mine about this and he said that it had a lot to do with community.
See… the issue is not a moralistic “keeping score” code of forgiving and being forgiven. It is about the nature of living in a healthy community. In Revelation 21, we see a new Jerusalem taking root in the world and all who are under the lordship of Jesus living there. In order for community to thrive and flourish in a community… you must have forgiveness. It’s the essential thing in order to be together.
So the call to forgive is not to do your moralistic duties… but to invite you into the future reality of togetherness.
There is so much more to say about this… but why don’t you continue this conversations with your community. The only other thing I’ll give you is the image I made in order to help me navigate this work: “Forgive Thy Other”
Scott is coming to speak at the next Collide so if you are in the Western Washington area, you won’t want to miss sitting under his teaching as he uses mixed media, art and story all to deepen our understanding of God! In the meantime, check out his amazing work: http://scottericksonart.com
