Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: REMEMBER (02/03/22)
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TITLE: Forgiving love | Previous Challenge Entry
By Gloria Pierre Dean
02/09/22 -
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Most profound is a photograph of her two young children and herself sitting on a large sofa. The beautifully innocent expressions on their faces brought tears to her eyes. They are now grown-ups. Her parents, siblings, and her young husband's photos are also in this small treasure book. Today, she is older and married. On reflection, throughout those years the one constant is God. Many of the people in her album are no more or they have lost contact.
The picture of her grandfather moves her mind to another significant childhood incident. It was a quiet day and suddenly, Ronda could hear her neighbour Teri screaming. She ran out the door and across the yard to see what she could do. Teri was sitting on her steps clutching a letter in her hand.
“I am being evicted because I can’t pay my rent!” she said between tears.
Ronda ran back to grandpa John; "Come and help her papa!" she pleaded.
Grandpa came over, sat next to Teri and started talking slowly and quietly to her.
With his help, she had been rehoused within days and in a job. So she was able to pay rent. Papa helped with food and wood for heating until she was promoted and self-sufficient again.
"Thanks Papa," said Ronda.
"Always remember to love your neighbour." said papa with a wise look and a smile.
Sitting under this great oak tree today reminded her of the strong faith and love of her papa.
Years later, those words resonated in her mind."Always remember to love your neighbour."
In her mid-twenties, this teaching played a high role when she was being unfairly treated at work by a manager and two coworkers.. She chose to pray for her attackers rather than take legal action as she was advised to. By some, it was seen as passivity.
Jesus may also have been seen as passive when he refused to defend himself against his accusers. ‘The chief priests accused him of many things. So again Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they are accusing you of. But Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.’ [Mark 15:3-5].
It took great inner strength not to rise up in anger and demand justice.
In the Bible, we have others who modelled love through forgiveness. Shadrack, Meshack and Abednigo refused to bow down to a false god and were put in a fiery furnace. ‘...these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.’ [Daniel 3:16-28].They did not hate the king because of his effort to kill them, they showed love.
Joseph, son of Jacob, was hated by his brothers and then sold; but God was with him. He became an Egyptian king and was eventually able to save his family and forgive his brothers. {Genesis 45:5,8}. He loved them.
David had a powerful enemy in King Saul who sought to kill him. David was on the run and an opportunity to hurt the king was given to him but he chose not to. “And David said to Saul, Wherefore hearest thou men's words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee today into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord's anointed”.
{1Samuel 24: 11 -15}.
These men of God, though not perfect, are examples for us to remember.
Always love your neighbour!
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If I could get my own use of the tenses right (the past and the present mainly) I might be tempted to say there may be a difference in the first paragraph with the use of 'was sitting' and then later your use of 'is'. But I don't get it right myself- so it is just a thought.
Anyway I enjoyed your take on remembering.