(a 2 minute read)  So this happened over the last couple of days. I love to discuss things, and I saw a post from a person I respect and believe he respects me as well. We entered into a discussion on FB. We stand on opposite ends of this issue. So over the course of 2 days and about 4 exchanges, each of us is making their case to the other. I fully believe that he, as do I, sincerely want to prove our point to the other, and each of us seem to be stunned that the other holds their view. In my book, this is good as iron sharpens iron.

Enters the discussion, another gentleman. It was one post. You know how on FB you scroll down a bit at a time on long posts? As you may imagine ours were prettttty long. You can smile now as you may cry in a moment.

This gentleman did a fantastic job drawing me into his post. He started with, “This sounded so familiar” and he repeated a portion of what I posted. As I am reading the repeated lines, I smiled to myself and said, “Oh no……….. I inadvertently copied someone else’s words and thoughts.” The suspense was killing me. Whom did I mimic? At the end of the repeated lines there was a double carriage return forcing me to scroll down with anticipation, wait for it, wait for it;

…”Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

A loud gasp came out of my mouth. The pain was like someone grabbed a baseball bat, held it up high, made sure I am held down tight, tormented me with how solid this bat is, then booooom, into the high end of my stomach rendering me unable to breath. This excruciating pain was immediately followed by complete shock as I have never met nor spoke with this gentleman, except in this one post, how could he say this?  Crushed, in my mind I typed a 4 page essay on the use of the Bible. This whole roller-coaster of emotions lasted 60 seconds.

I write all this not to invoke anger against him or sympathy towards me, rather invoke kindness and mercy from you the reader. Your words matter even to those you do not know. Your words impact and influence those you never met. Most importantly your words reflect the ONE you say you proclaim. Show mercy even under the cruelest circumstances, show love even when you abhor what’s in front of you.

I forgive him for the pain inflected and I ask for God’s forgiveness if I am, as he described, Satan.