Forgiveness on a Playground

Today I was working in the school with some of the younger kids. As we took them out to the playground, a young boy named agu came up to tattle on another girl, mnpoh, because she was throwing sand at him.

As Agu explained to his teacher what happened, she called the little girl over.
Mnpoh came over and Mrs. Lucy said to her, throwing sand is not nice, you need to apologize to agu, and act right to everyone.

What happened next was like a reminder to me.
Mnpoh grabbed Agu and wrapped her arms around him and apologized. Agu said it's ok Mnpoh we are friends, they hugged, and walked off hand and hand.

As you all know I am reading through Matthew. This morning I paid particular attention to two parts, God calling us to be as little children, and then the parable of the master forgiving the debt of his servant. How ironic is that then i had a reminder on a playground with children?

If you don't remember the story i'll give a paraphrase: A servant owed his master much money, he begged forgiveness, and the master forgave the debt. The slave then went and beat up another slave that owed him money. When the master was told how the first slave acted, he confronted him and cast him away.

The parable is telling us that we have been forgiven all our debts and if we do not forgive, we as well will be cast out.

After the scene I realized how the two connect. We are to be like children because children love deeply, they forgive quickly. We miss a concept as we grow up. The whole part about how we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. Then we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We struggle with that. I included.

See real love is only seen by God, He is love. Real love is complete forgiveness, as we are forgiven. Real love is complete redemption, as we are redeemed. Real love is patient, kind, long suffering, etc. (1 cor. 13) To take any one piece out of that love then you are not loving with the love that God instructs us to love with.

If we do not love our neighbors the same way we love ourselves we are not fulfilling it. How come children understand, but we do not?

I know how i love myself. I love myself in that I want to be forgiven for all of my mistakes, I love myself in that I want favor, I want understanding, I want patience, I want encouragement, I want comfort, I want those things.
I love myself in that way and that means I must love others in that way. I must forgive them, be patient with them, try to understand them, redeem them, give them favor, give them encouragement, give them comfort.

I pray for help. I pray that God will remind me to love others how I love myself. I pray that when wounded, I will wrap my arms around the other person and forgive them, because I have a savior who forgave me of all my debts, He forgave me of my blaspheme, of my idolatry, of my filthiness, He forgave me of it all, and He still loves me, He still encourages me, He still takes my burdens, He still blesses me, He still gives me favor, He still calls me friend.

May I learn to be like a child, may I learn to love like Jesus!

Be Blessed,
J. Tate