Who are your role models? Rephrased, who are the people who lived their lives in such a way, you caught the lessons they taught without speaking? We all have them. They are people who... at the mention of their names... our hearts melt. It is a great day to write them a note of gratitude or reconnect.
Honestly, I hate to start a public list, because I would leave someone out. I have been blessed and shaped by so many mentors who fearlessly allowed their lives to be woven into mine. In a nutshell, actions speak louder than words.
Role models will make more of a difference than any "program" instituted. The genuine connect with another human is at the soul level. It is when you look at another human and say, "Thank God, you get me!"
The Love-of-my-Life gets me at a level that scares me at times. We do not need words to communicate much of the time. It has been 34 years of sharing and caring. 32 of them married. To my shame at times, he can read my mind. To my joy, he loves me anyway. He makes allowances for my faults and shortcomings every day... and if he had any (insert wink😉)... I would do the same for him. Grace is a beautiful thing.
I am grateful for the example of love and faithfulness he has taught by example to our sons. I pray they will continue the legacy it into the next generation. Love is a choice we make every... single... day.
When Jesus was asked, "How should we pray?", taught the model of prayer we know as "The Lord's Prayer." The scariest line is tucked in that beautiful prayer: and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
And don’t let us yield to temptation. -Luke 11:4
Jesus, after walking in our human skin, had both God perspective and human perspective. The incarnation is the most amazing thing to me. He took on our skin to fully understand how and why we mess up, and to help us along. He is our role model.
We don't wake up in the morning with the goal of offending the Lord, our God. Oh, no (at least, most of us don't). Our sinful nature is happy to raise its ugly head and help us along. Jesus knew we would struggle. He reminded us to pray for forgiveness and to pour that kind of grace out on those who offend us, too. Paul addresses it again in a letter to the Colossians.
"Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." -Colossians 3:13
There are times, forgiveness is much easier to dispense than others. There are times, it is really hard. It can be the very thing that stands in the way of our letting go of hurt and brokenness. It keeps us from being truly whole.
Unforgiveness weighs down our souls and it is not "The Way" that leads to life. Full life. Here and eternally. Unforgiveness keeps us from tasting the full joy of Jesus. He died to buy us that freedom, joy and hope. There has never been a better role model.
Today, I am grateful role models.
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