Clean Slate - Part 1

Last fall for about a week, our oldest son, who we love very much, borrowed my cell phone. It was all good, it was my idea. The only problem was, about a week or two later, as I sat in my youngest son's music practice, due to boredom - I scrolled through my old text messages to delete them. I have a habit of checking my minutes (or I use to have this habit anyway) and the answer comes via text message. The messages can accrue quite quickly! Imagine my chagrin to read a message that clearly was not typed by me, and CLEARLY was against my belief system in oh, so many ways. And no, this did not have anything to do with sexual content, I am not a prude! But, suffice it to say that this resulted in a meeting with the parents, first Dad then Mom.

All was resolved and his father told me to delete the message. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Well, it was in my "Drafts" folder. I was reluctant in some morbid way to delete this message. Why? I don't know, I can't explain it. Just that way we have of keeping the proof that we are justified in our grudge, close to us, you know? Anyway, I did try to delete the message. But, I decided it wasn't possible, at least as far as I knew how. So I kept it on a "technicality" you could say. I found that loop-hole to justify my keeping this thing, that should have been gotten rid of! Things moved along, there were no more signs of trouble. Lots of good conversation and fruit of a true turn around with regards to the topic of the message. But, every once in awhile, guess what my shameful self did? Yup, I would go and look at that old message. Then shut the phone down.

Over a period of time, I began to wish I knew how to get rid of it. I never looked at anymore, unless I came across it by accident. Then recently I found out how to delete from that folder. BUT, I still hesitated to delete, because my mind would reason, "Well what if.....? "And all these ridiculous thoughts would try to speak their part, but they sounded so lame it was easy to turn their voices off. Yet, yes, the mesage still sat there. Until this weekend. I came across the message by accident again, and I thought, "You gotta go! "And DELETE - it was gone. I thought, "Who am I to hold onto a part of his past that his father AND I have forgiven him of. Our Father doesn't keep our old messes around to remind Him! "

So, if you are hanging on to old reminders of other's or even your tresspasses, DELETE!

"He will not always chide or be contending, neither will He keep His anger forever or hold a grudge. He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe]." Psalm 103:9-13