This Is The Hour



You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold onto the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart
and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore,
push off into the middle of the river,
keep our eyes open and our heads above the water.
See who is in there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves.
For the moment that we do,
our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
These words of wisdom were handed down to us by the Hopi Nation Elders of Oraibi, Arizona.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me."

Matthew 16:24

Forgiveness

I can forgive, but I cannot forget," is only another way of saying, "I will not forgive."  Forgiveness ought to be like a canceled note--torn in two, and burned up, so that it never can be shown against one.

A man once had too much to drink at a party.  First, he made a foolish spectacle of himself--even to the point of wearing the proverbial lampshade as a hat--and then he passed out.  Friends helped his wife take him home and put him to bed.  The next morning he was very remorseful and asked his wife to forgive him.  She agreed to "forgive and forget" the incident.

As the months went by, however the wife referred to the incident from time to time, always with a little note of ridicule and shame in her voice.  Finally, the man grew weary of being reminded of his bad behavior and said, "I thought you were going to forgive and forget." 

"I have forgiven and forgotten," the wife argued, "but I just don't want you to forget that I have forgiven and forgotten."

Once we have confronted an offender, we must remember nothing is gained from harboring unforgiveness in our hearts.  Forgiveness requires a healing process inside us--to the point where we no longer feel any pain at the memory of what the other person did or said to injure us.

We "forget" when we no longer hurt!  Forgive, forget, and start living again.

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

Ephesians 4:32