Center of the Universe: A Look at Life From the Lighter Side by Bill Johnson

Author:Bill Johnson [Johnson, Bill]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780768490503
Publisher: Destiny Image
Published: 2010-12-01T05:00:00+00:00

44

FORGIVENESS

One year the salmon were running in record numbers. I started taking quite a few pre-sunrise trips to the river to partake of the harvest. It was great fun, and after awhile I thought that my family should join me. I wanted my boys, who were about 8 and 10 at the time, to hook into one of these big silver fish. So on a beautiful summer evening, we went to one of the places that I had been frequenting on those early morning excursions. My boys and I had caught many bass and trout together, but salmon was going to be a new experience.

When we drove up to the hole, there were only a few people fishing. That was good. We were easily able to find a place to stand and cast our lines. Salmon fishermen are usually the most tolerant fishermen in the world. We’ll stand shoulder to shoulder, by the hour, with little complaint. It must be the size of the fish that makes such conditions so acceptable. The strip of water that usually accommodated four to six fishermen was only hosting one elderly woman. We excitedly walked up to the hole and cast our lines into the water. Eric quickly hooked and landed a nice salmon. As soon as he did so, the woman spoke up. “I know what you guys are doing!” She then accused us of crowding her so that she couldn’t catch anything. My first thought was, “You’ve got to be kidding! You ought to be here early in the morning!” We were about 15 to 20 feet away from her, which in salmon fishing terms is really far. Instead I stood silent, and thought about what she had said.

Did we crowd her? No. We kept a greater distance from her than normal. Besides, she couldn’t have cast to the fish that Eric caught. Did she think we had crowded her? Yes. Was she offended? Yes. I suppose that I could have explained how things work on the river, streamside etiquette and all, but she didn’t seem too interested in being told anything by me. We had just caught her fish. Instead I chose to set an example for my boys on how to show respect to our “elders” by giving up that whole stretch of river for her to enjoy. Aswe packed up our gear I apologized for offending her. She then apologized for her words and attitude, to which I answered, “I forgive you.” This set off another visible reaction, though she managed to gather her thoughts and say in return, “And I forgive you.”

Those are words that are too seldom spoken: “I forgive you.”

I’ve had several devastating crises throughout my life. In each situation, which lasted from several months up to a couple of years, I was forced to discover the power and place of the walk of forgiveness in my life. And in each case I was to learn it with members of the Body of Christ.

Why is it

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