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Day 48: Love and Forgive One Another




May 2, 2020

My dad says the difference between a bad haircut and a good haircut is about two weeks. I’m pretty sure he means you get two extra weeks out of it at the end if it’s good but I’ve seen it happen the other way around, too. When my 4 year old niece cut her own bangs right to the scalp, the difference was about six weeks. When we need our hair cut, it’s important to choose someone who knows what they are doing, usually not ourselves, our mom or our spouse.  It is also important to not go back to a stylist we regretted choosing before. If we make a poor choice then we must live with regret (and ugly hair). Some decisions are more regretful than others. Hair will eventually grow back. But hurtful words cannot be unsaid and time cannot be re-lived. As humans, we all make bad choices sometimes and we all have regrets. We say things we wish we had not said, or do things we know we shouldn’t do. Other times we don’t do things we know we should do. God forgives us for our mistakes as soon as we ask, but sometimes we have trouble forgiving ourselves and each other. I disagree with the statement, ”Never look back.” I lean more towards “It’s okay to look back but don’t stand there and stare.” How can we learn from our past if we ignore it? But we should not dwell on it. Learn, forgive, move on. Living with regret drains our joy and robs us of inner peace. Forgiveness of self and others brings us peace. Ephesians 4:32 says: “Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” And in John 13:34 Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” A bad haircut will grow back on its own but relationships that need repair require love, compassion and forgiveness.  What God freely offers us, we must also offer to one another.  Love and forgive each other. Smile and be joyful!

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