The Grands Letter

Dear Grands,

Mark 11:24-26, “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask,

believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.

25 “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against

anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.

26 “But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your

transgressions.”

It is simply impossible to walk through life without encountering opposition

in almost anything. However honestly you seek to do things, someone will

always arise in opposition to you, denounce you vehemently and impugn your

motives. Boy, can I attest to opposition! I’ve prayed earnestly and often,

asking the LORD to intervene. I’ve checked my faith, to be certain that I truly

believed the LORD would answer. Why, then, had He not answered and put

down my objectors? What I had forgotten (or in some cases, simply ignored)

was to forgive the person who had offended me. However wrong my offender

might have been, I must be willing to forgive him. Wow, that’s hard! LORD,

you know he’s wrong! Just deal with him! But, He had to deal with me first;

then, He could and would deal with my adversary.

Let me urge you to search your heart carefully. Think of those who have

genuinely offended you –not just disagreed, but really offended you! Get

over it! Forgive them for what they’ve done, however egregious it might

have been. Sometimes, you actually have to tell them face-to-face, “I’ve

forgiven you.” Hard? I reckon. But, if you want the LORD to forgive you

and answer your prayers, you have to forgive others. There’s no other

way.

We love you desperately and pray for you every single day,

Nana & Dado III

The prayer even of intensest faith is not perfect, unless the temper of the worshipper is also that of the Charity which forgives offences.

Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.

Springdale, Arkansas