Post by Rhonda on Jan 14, 2006 23:29:06 GMT -5
WHEN THEY TRESPASS AGAINST US
Steve Goodier
I saw a sign in a church parking lot. It read: "Parking for Church Use
Only. Violators will be towed." I wondered if it might be more
effective if some humor were used: "Parking for Church Use Only.
Violators will be baptized." Or, "Violators will be expected to
tithe." That should clear the lot!
I heard of one church that posted a sign that read, "We forgive those
who trespass against us; but they will be towed all the same."
We've all had people trespass against us in one way or another. And we
have each done our share of trespassing. The dictionary defines
trespassing as any offense, transgression or error against others...
That covers a tremendous territory. Our lives are full of trespasses,
which is why an effective response to the trespasses of others is so
essential to happy, healthy and whole living.
In his book LEE: THE LAST YEARS, author Charles Flood reports that
after the American Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee
visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old
tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs
and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire. She looked to
Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her
loss.
After a brief silence, Lee said, "Cut it down, my dear Madam, and
forget it." He seemed to know that as long as she continued to recount
her losses, she'd never get over them. She had to release the North
from her debt in order to move on to healthy living.
In the end, if we learn the power of releasing others from our debt,
we will build the happy and productive lives we want. It may not
always be our first response, but it is our best final response to
those who trespass against us.
__________
HUMOR
"We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can." --
Will Rogers
Steve Goodier
I saw a sign in a church parking lot. It read: "Parking for Church Use
Only. Violators will be towed." I wondered if it might be more
effective if some humor were used: "Parking for Church Use Only.
Violators will be baptized." Or, "Violators will be expected to
tithe." That should clear the lot!
I heard of one church that posted a sign that read, "We forgive those
who trespass against us; but they will be towed all the same."
We've all had people trespass against us in one way or another. And we
have each done our share of trespassing. The dictionary defines
trespassing as any offense, transgression or error against others...
That covers a tremendous territory. Our lives are full of trespasses,
which is why an effective response to the trespasses of others is so
essential to happy, healthy and whole living.
In his book LEE: THE LAST YEARS, author Charles Flood reports that
after the American Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee
visited a Kentucky lady who took him to the remains of a grand old
tree in front of her house. There she bitterly cried that its limbs
and trunk had been destroyed by Federal artillery fire. She looked to
Lee for a word condemning the North or at least sympathizing with her
loss.
After a brief silence, Lee said, "Cut it down, my dear Madam, and
forget it." He seemed to know that as long as she continued to recount
her losses, she'd never get over them. She had to release the North
from her debt in order to move on to healthy living.
In the end, if we learn the power of releasing others from our debt,
we will build the happy and productive lives we want. It may not
always be our first response, but it is our best final response to
those who trespass against us.
__________
HUMOR
"We are all here for a spell, get all the good laughs you can." --
Will Rogers
