Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Inside each of us is the capacity to want to play god. To be in control of all we do and to be responsible for the influences on others makes us feel good and ultimately gives us a sense of accomplishment. Playing god is taught to us throughout our educational years. It begins with sending our child to public school where the mere mention of God is strictly forbidden. After all, we wouldn't want to 'offend' anyone. This god complex evolves into stubbornness and a narcissistic thinking that 'I am totally self sufficient and do not need anybody to depend on to succeed in this life. The god complex grows at a exponentially high rate of speed in us like a bullet train on it's way to Tokyo, Japan.
When a loved one dies our god complex inside tries to wrap it's handle around the painful grief process without success. When our loved one dies through a sudden set of circumstances it becomes difficult to resolve it on our own. Oh, we try because of our god complex inside. We lash out in anger at the system, whatever that system may be, that cause the tragic set of circumstances that caused our loved one to die. We search for trial lawyers in the yellow pages. We gather facts that will help us meet with the trial lawyers. We vacillate between anger and depression as we try to seek retribution for our loss. We rock ourselves back and forth on the floor while clutching our loved ones article of clothing. Our cognitive ability to function at work declines and if we're honest with ourselves 'we're simply not the same people we before the loss'. Forgiveness is a foreign word to those who have the god complex. If we continue to travel this road we take up vices like smoking and drinking because those things bring comfort to our god complex. We begin to call in sick at work because of our anxieties caused by our unforgiveness.
It wasn't until I decided to trust God and hand him over the messes my god complex had made of my grief and loss that God truly helped me to see the power of forgiveness and how this would bring healing into my life. God reminded me, for example, that He understood what it was like to lose a child. He reminded me He did so willingly because it meant all of us can see the power of forgiveness in our lives. If you have read my blogs you will know that God did some amazing things in my life to let me know how much He loves me and how much He cares for me. Best of all He showed me through God orchestrated events the power of forgiveness and the refreshing aroma forgiveness it brought to me once I turned to God with the unchangeable things in my life. This same fresh smelling aroma of forgiveness is available to all who cry out to God and invite Jesus to come into their life and take control of their unchangeable circumstances.
I highly recommend this movie to everyone who finds themselves unable or unwilling to forgive the unforgivable. Whether it is outside circumstances, people who might have hurt you, or in my case a perfect storm of events that caused my little girl's sudden death God wants to take all of those hurts that have kept you from moving forward and replace it with a fresh aroma of Christ love that will bring you healing. The next time a tear comes to your eye as you painfully remember your loved one remember that God made it possible for all of us to experience the place of heaven much like our love one is experiencing right now. Replacing your god complex for truly knowing God means we have a new mission in life. A mission of telling people the good news and letting them know that Christ wants to be there for them when the unthinkable happens in their life.
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