Tag: Bible

2 Lessons Learned from a Cardinal

By Cynthia Cummings-Walker

For a couple of days, a beautiful bright red cardinal kept flying into my window that faces the patio.  I didn’t know why and was concerned that it would injure itself.  After a couple of days I realized that the bird was trying to fly to the red flowering Canna plant I have just inside that window.

The bird completely ignored the birdfeeders, birdbath, and urns of beautiful flowers blooming all around the patio.  None of that seemed to matter.  The bird was determined to get to the Canna through that window, although it was closed.

The Cardinal did not realize that in being outside, it had the freedom to fly anywhere it wanted to go.  It could travel to places where it could enjoy a variety of flowers and food.  Being around other birds the Cardinal could find a mate.  

Many people are like the Cardinal. The Lord has provided us with everything we need, and much of what we desire. When lust for something that looks more appealing sets in, we may become dissatisfied, ignoring what we have and go after that which is unreachable.  Sometimes to our own detriment. 

In Genesis chapters 2 and 3 is the biblical account of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  God had provided the most beautiful garden that anyone could possibly imagine. Adam and Eve did not have to plant anything nor toil to maintain its beauty.  There were no weeds.  A mist came up from the ground to water it.  There was little to do except enjoy it.

The trees there were exceptionally lush and stunning to look at and countless fruit trees to eat from.  There was only one restriction. God told Adam and Eve they could eat fruit from any tree in the garden, except one.  It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil located in the middle of the garden.

Adam and Eve had a close and personal relationship with God.  They lived in a beautiful, perfect environment. What more could they want?

One day Satan approached Eve and asked her why she was not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Eve said that God told them they could not eat from that tree.  If they ate from it they would surely die.

Satan told Eve that what God said was not true and if they ate from the tree they would not surely die. He said God was restricting them from that tree because if they ate from it their eyes would be opened and they would be like God, knowing good and evil.  

Eve was tempted to disobey God, blinded by the lust for something that was forbidden. She erroneously felt that God was withholding something better than she already had.  Eve ignored the lush and beautiful garden she lived in and focused on what she was closed out from having.

It was like the Cardinal wanting to get to the Canna. Eve succumbed to the temptation and ate a piece of fruit from the forbidden tree and gave some to Adam. This was a disastrous decision. It probably took less than a minute to make, yet one that brought irreparable damage to Adam and Eve and their relationship with God. 

The result of their disobedience destroyed their entire way of life. The penalty for Adam and Eve’s disobedience caused God to remove them from the garden and banned them from ever returning. 

The far-reaching consequences were that Adam would have to work by the sweat of his brow for the rest of his life. Eve would have to suffer labor pains in childbirth. Their son Cain would kill their other son Abel.  Of course, they had no idea of the price they would have to pay for being ungrateful and disobedient. Do we?

Things may look tempting and good from the outside looking in. The Master Gardener has a reason for closing a door or window. Even though the Cardinal was intent on entering my home for the flowering plant through the window, I restricted its entry and the window remained closed. 

Unbeknownst to the bird, if it had managed to get inside, it would be paying a high price.  It’s freedom to enjoy all of nature would be gone, and it would be restricted to one flower in an atmosphere which is not conducive to the bird’s intended purpose, nor its survival.

2 LESSONS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE CARDINAL

  1. In life, learn to be content with God’s provisions and enjoy what you currently have. The door or window may be closed for a reason. When the Lord has something for you, you will have access to it in God’s time.  Pray and wait.  
  2. Trust God. He is good.  Everything the Lord does is right and done for our good.  God has reasons for restrictions. Some things may be detrimental to us, or it is just not the right time. If we try to force our way in, that can cause self-induced misery, or worse.

As for the Cardinal, it kept flying into the window until I realized why the bird was doing it and moved the Canna to another spot where the bird could not see it. The Cardinal then refocused and enjoyed the provisions outside where it was. Once it is consistently warm outside at night, I will put the Cannas outside and the Cardinal can enjoy them then. 

Disaster can be borne out of haste. Good things come to those who wait.

Have you ever made a decision in haste and regretted it?

Do you, when God does not answer a prayer the way you want Him to, patiently wait, trusting that He knows what is best?

Forgive and Train Your Brain to Forget

By Cynthia Cummings-Walker

What does it mean to forgive?  It is to stop feeling angry, bitter, or resentful toward someone because of an offense.  

Forgive is a difficult word, and concept.  Some people believe that to forgive means they condone or excuse a person’s actions.  Others believe that if they forgive, they leave themselves open for more abuse.  Some people say, “I can forgive but I will never forget.”  Others say that they will not do either one. 

What does it mean to forget? “To lose the remembrance of; be unable to think or recall; to disregard intentionally.”

Can a person really forgive and forget when the offense is connected to trauma?  Yes, they can if they are willing. From a natural perspective it has been medically proven that forgiveness is like an internal cleansing.  It has been medically proven that the act of forgiveness lowers the risk of heart attack; improves cholesterol levels and sleep; drop in stress hormones; lowers blood pressure; allows for a stronger immune system; reduces anxiety, depression, and stress. Forgiving benefits the forgiver, more than the forgiven.

I’m not saying that it is as easy as 1,2,3.  It takes a lot of prayer and hard work to let go of the anger and bitterness associated with a painful past. For Christians, forgiving is a must.  God commands it. The Bible makes it clear that forgiving others is the gateway to receiving forgiveness.

Matthew 6:14 reads: “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”   (NLT).

There is a parable in Matthew 18:23–35 (NASB) that tells the story of a servant who owed the king a large sum of money but couldn’t repay the debt. He pleaded with the king to have mercy and forgive the debt.  It was forgiven.  That same servant went out and found a fellow servant who owed him a ridiculously small amount of money that he couldn’t repay.  The forgiven servant had no mercy and had the fellow servant thrown into prison. The master found out and sent for his servant.

“Then the king called in the man he had forgiven and said, ‘You evil servant! I forgave you that tremendous debt because you pleaded with me.  Shouldn’t you have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you?’  Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.  “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.” Matthew 18:32–35 (NLT)

Everyone will reap what they sow. (Galatians 6:7).  Sow forgiveness, reap forgiveness.  Sow unforgiveness, reap unforgiveness. This is straightforward.  The Lord gives no “out” for not forgiving.  This is a command.

God never commands Christians to do anything that is impossible to do. Not only must we forgive, but we also have to forget.  God forgives and forgets our wrongdoings.

Jeremiah 31:34 (NASB) God says…. “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”   Isaiah 43:25 (NASB)  “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions…, And I will not remember your sins.”

Being willing and able to forgive is based on a person’s character and spiritual maturity.  God loves us based on who He is; not on who we are.  He forgives us based on His love for us; not because we are so loveable.

You may say, okay, I can forgive but not forget because I am not God.  You don’t have to be. God has designed a system in the human brain that helps people do exactly that – the ability to remember or forget anything that enters the mind.   

In the human brain there is a bundle of neurons near the brain stem that sort massive amounts of information.  It acts as a filter for information the brain receives. It detects and lets in information that is important to a person because they spend a lot of time focusing on it.  The system dismisses information the brain can do without because we don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it.  Scientifically it is referred to as the Reticular Activating System (RAS).

Have you ever driven home, maybe listening to the radio or talking and before you know it you’re home?  You really didn’t have to think about every stop and turn. The route is so familiar it’s as though the car had driven itself.  This is the RAS at work.   

People who live near an airport, busy highways or train tracks don’t seem to hear the airplanes, trains or vehicles passing by. As a visitor you hear each one. It’s not important for the resident to hear, so the brain filters out the sounds. 

When in a room full of people talking we don’t distinguish what they are saying.  However, if you hear your name, whether they are talking about you or not, it gets your attention.  The brain knows that your name is something important to you, so you hear it.  

The same way the brain can retain useful information, it  eliminates things that a person doesn’t think about regularly.  The more you think about something painful from the past, or talk about it, the brain thinks it’s important to you and retains the memories.  If you stop thinking and talking about a certain situation the brain will delete it from memory.

The RAS mediates behavior.  It does not distinguish good or bad.  It just determines what is useful to you and what is not. This is how a person can remember or forget.

Joseph’s life is depicted in Genesis Chapters 30-50 .  He experienced a lot of heartache.  He was betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery.  He was taken to Egypt, falsely accused, and sent to prison. Once  released, he ended up interpreting a dream for Pharoah,  implemented a project that kept a nation from starving in a famine.  Joseph was reunited with his brothers, forgave them, and brought them to Egypt so they would have adequate food.

Joseph could have been angry and bitter over what his brothers did to him, and intent on seeking revenge.  Instead, “he said, “God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.” Genesis 41:51 (NASB)

His brothers feared retaliation.  Joseph told them: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.” Genesis 50:20 (NASB)

No matter what kind of abuse, betrayal, heartache, or pain you’ve endured, God can use it for good. Joseph went from a pit to the palace.  He forgave and forgot. He realized in the end certain things needed to happen in order for him to be the great and powerful man he became.

The Apostle Paul, who wrote half of the New Testament, was consistently beaten, thrown in prison, suffered a lot of pain, betrayal, and rejection from people.  Eventually he was martyred.  However, nearing the end of his life the Apostle Paul wrote: ““…dear brothers and sisters,…I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead,” Philippians 3:13 (NLT)

God requires people to forgive if we want to be forgiven by Him.  No one is perfect and everyone needs forgiveness at some point. Forgiving yourself for anything you may have done, or neglected to do, is also extremely important. Thank God that He has created the RAS system in our brains that will allow us to forget anything we don’t want to remember.

My questions for you are: Is there anyone you need to forgive and forget for the trauma you experienced?  Is it that you believe you can’t forgive and forget, or you just refuse to?   Pray and trust God.  He will give you the wisdom and strength you need to accomplish His purpose for your life. It is not impossible.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT ON ISSUES OF FORGIVING OR NOT FORGIVING, WHY?