In Paula Deen's situation...

 

The last few days the hot topic has been about Paula Deen.  I read today where someone said that no grace had been extended to her and how folks don’t understand God’s grace.  Well, I have to agree that many folks don’t understand God’s grace, but I don’t agree that it’s our place to decide whether or not grace has been extended to her or not.  There’s no way we can know the full extent of what has happened to cause this storm.

In my own life, I have sowed and reaped good things and bad things.  It’s life!  I’m an imperfect human just like everyone else who has ever walked this planet, except Jesus, of course.  I have had to be a part of reaping things that were not good because I was a part of a family/group that had sown badly.  No, it’s not fair…and I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that there have been days I have struggled with the idea that I felt like I was paying for someone else’s bad sowing.  But, the reality is…God is sovereign…period!!  He has a purpose for all things and it’s not for me to question his sovereignty. (Trust me, I have reaped plenty of my own sowing from poor choices, too!)

And yet some might say; where is God’s grace in all of this?  Maybe we/whomever should just be let off the hook because of God’s grace? I could easily ask these questions in the situations I’ve been in where I wasn’t the one doing the sowing, but…I won’t.  The reason is because I see God’s grace everywhere in these situations in my own life!  My question is; who are we to determine where God’s grace ends and where it begins?  I can easily see that if it weren’t for God’s grace, things could be a lot worse than they are now in my life/family…but it’s not!  I know God’s grace is here…but I truly don’t know the extent…beginning and ending of it.  Nor is it for me to question the sovereignty of God.  I trust that He knows best.


I also know from my own experiences that I’ve extended a tremendous amount of grace to folks who have abused it.  At some point, we all have to make a decision that we’re not going to be a door mat.

 

In Paula Deen’s situation, I feel badly that she’s having a rough go of it now.  But I also feel badly for those who have been the recipient of harsh words spoken to them by her.  It’s a bad situation all around.  There is no winner in this.  But this I do know; And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 

Sometimes, reaping what we’ve sown is not easy.  But, it’s what we learn from it and how we apply it to our future sowing that either makes us a better person or in our stupidity or ignorance, keeps us continuing on the same path.  It’s our choice. 

Let Go and Let God

You cannot genuinely embrace someone who you have not fully forgiven.  ~ Chuck Swindoll

Have you ever crossed paths with someone who has hurt you in some way and you feel like running away from them or you feel anger rising up inside?  More likely than not, that person hasn’t been fully forgiven for an offense that they caused.  Of course, you certainly would not want to embrace that person…not genuinely anyway. I can honestly say that I’ve been in that situation. 

It’s been my experience that I will forgive someone, I’ll be fine for a while and then I’ll see them again and anger, although less than the time before, will rise up again.  So, in this situation I forgave them again…and again…and again…until I could say that I had genuinely forgiven them.  In all truthfulness, then, and only then was I able to genuinely embrace that person.  Of course not all offenses take me that long to get over…but deep hurts have taken time for me to fully forgive.  I believe this is what Jesus meant when He said to forgive seventy times seven. (See Matt 18:22)

In order to forgive others, we have to make a conscious effort to forgive…it is a choice.  Go the extra mile and pray blessings for that person.  I have to tell you, I’ve been in a few situations where the person(s) who hurt me, did so in a massive fashion.  (Unfortunately, I’m sure that’s not unusual for many of us!)  God used this to show me how to overcome.  Although I’m far from perfect in this, it has become easier to forgive others.

If you choose not to forgive, the anger that you feel rise up within you will become like a poison to your life and well being…whether it be emotionally, spiritually or physically.

Give it to God…let Him deal with the person.  We were not created with the capability to deal with it.  We were created to need God to deal with it.  He is Justice.  Let go and let God.