Monday Motivations: The Duck and The Devil!

A little boy was visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner.

As he was walking back he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly. He hit his mark square in the head, and killed it. He was shocked and grieved. In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile, and looked up to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, “Sally, let’s wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen.” Then she whispered to him, “Remember the duck?”. So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, “I’m sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.” Sally just smiled and said, “Well, that’s all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help.” She whispered again, “Remember the duck?” So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.

After several days of doing both his chores and Sally’s, he finally couldn’t stand it any longer. He went to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, “Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing. Because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.” (end of story)

Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done…and Satan keeps throwing it up in your face…whatever it is, you need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.

He’s just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you. The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not only forgives you, but He forgets. God is at the window.

If you carry hurt from someone who has wronged you in the past remember this...

Forgiveness changes the present, not the past. Forgiveness is a personal choice. It's not about condoning their actions or even reconciling with them. It's a choice you make to heal yourself. Letting go means deciding that you are not going to allow anger and bitterness to poison your life... neutralizing feelings of hurt and anger towards the offender. It's about taking control of your thoughts and emotions and not playing the part of the victim in your life story.

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