Did your Thanksgiving NOURISH you?
Sure, you had plenty to eat but did you leave the table feeling loved? Or did you cry in the car on the way home?
I heard a statistic the other day that said 95% of us spend the holidays (Thanksgiving to New Years) with people we don’t like.
How sad is it that our society has become so disconnected that we don’t even like our family or the people we call friends?
If we as Christians were doing our job to really love others as the way the Word tells us to, I believe this number would be much lower.
And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the great and foremost commandment.39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’40 Upon these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.” – Matthew 22:37-40 NASB
I encourage you to forgive, mend fences & show honest love to ALL those in your life. Yes, I’m talking about that coworker who never cleans the microwave after reheating a plate of spaghetti. I’m talking about that abusive parent and the neighbor who takes your parking spot. It doesn’t matter who started it, you dear reader, need to be the bigger person and initiate the healing.
Therefore, if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. – Matthew 5:23-24 NASB
If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.” – John 20:23 NASB
But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses. – Matthew 6:15 NASB
Come to good terms with your accuser quickly, while you are with him on the way to court, so that your accuser will not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will not be thrown into prison. – Matthew 5:25 NASB
Do you believe that JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON? If so then your response must be to spend the next few weeks doing everything you can to nourish (provide with the food or other [things] necessary for growth, health, and good condition) others. Jesus did this every day of His life. Therefore, we are obliged to do the same.
My Life in Our Father's World 
You’re right, Barb. It’s important to forgive others, as God forgives us. I’ve held on to hurt feelings about things before that the other person knew nothing about. So who was suffering? It’s much better to repair, than to break things worse, anyway. Thank you for this, Barb!
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I’m glad it helped you
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Forgiving and reconciliation are two different things. I would never encourage someone to stay in a relationship with someone who is abusive. Loving your neighbor and forgiveness does
Not mean to allow the same people to continually abuse you. You can forgive and cut ties.
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Absolutely! We must forgive whether the person is still in our lives or not. God does not tell us to be a punching bag or a doormat. But He does call us to LOVE & FORGIVE.
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Good point, Barb. Forgiving others actually does more for us than it does for the one who offended!
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There is so much diversity among the nation it’s not funny
it’s a shame that things are so turned up side down.😢
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I agree 🙃
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Wow! 95% spend the day with people they don’t like? I’m blessed to be in the 5%. We all have different POV’s, but that doesn’t affect how we love each other. I pray more can come to this place of love over anything else. Nice post. Your FMF neighbor.
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Thanks for your comment, Suzette.
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Most folks do have heads of clay,
and what they want, they really want,
to make each day a perfect day,
to validate each passing vaunt.
But God, He sees things from afar,
His hands, they hold the tilting scales.
We think we know how all things are,
but we are just telling tales
about some kind tame deity,
go put a nickel in the slot
to validate eternity,
but it seems that we’ve forgot
that passage, so we might enter
calls on the burden of surrender.
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That statistic is staggaring!
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That’s what I thought too!
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I agree. Nourishing our relationships and loving people is always the right choice!
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Such an important message!! Thank you Barb for sharing.❤️❤️❤️
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My pleasure
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