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Sermon Title: “Stunted Shrubs”
April 8, 2018
When was the last time you were told to “get over it?”
Maybe the pain was just too much. Maybe you didn’t know how to let go. So you heard “get over it.” Honestly, you would have if you could. Perhaps, when life gets tough, we’re not supposed to get over it. What would it look like to move through it?
Forgiveness isn’t hardest when it’s personal, it’s when our resentment is understandable.
Most of us get stuck because of justifiable resentment.
Voices of Reconciliation from Rwanda: https://www.jeremycowart.com/reconciliation
Challenge 1: Move through it
Challenge 2: Don’t put your ultimate trust in “mere” humans
For Further Reading:
On Justifiable Resentment – 5 Blind Spots
On Rwanda – WE wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families
Resentment is an emotion that most of us don’t know what to do with. It makes us uncomfortable, so we ignore it, letting it fester beneath the surface. Or we seek validation for it, telling others of the injustice we have suffered at the hands of others to quiet the resentment raging inside of us. But either way fails us – resentment remains, taking up space as an unwelcome guest that we’re not sure how to get rid of.
But what if there was a way to move through the resentment that we feel? What if there was a way to find freedom from our past hurt, and instead step into a future of hope?
Scripture: Jeremiah 17:5-8
Questions for Reflection:
What comes to mind when you hear the word resentment?
Why do you think we are hesitant to honestly address emotions like resentment?
How do you respond to the imagery of a stunted shrub in the desert? Has misplaced trust ever produce this in your own life?
Have you ever felt that your future was being held captive by your past? In what ways?
BCN Worship set list
Grateful
Gracefully Broken
Reckless Love
O Come to the Altar
LIFE IS NOT MEANT TO BE LIVED ALONE. YOU WERE CREATED TO EXPERIENCE LIFE WITH OTHER PEOPLE.
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