I recently read the following poem and wanted to share it.

"Resent Somebody

The moment you start to resent a person you become their slave.
They control your dreams, absorb your digestion,
Rob you of peace of mind and good will,
And take away the pleasure of your work.
They ruin your spirituality and nullify your prayers.

You cannot take a vacation without them going along!
They destroy your freedom of mind and hound you wherever you go.
There is no way to escape the person you resent.
They are with you when you are awake.
They invade your privacy when you sleep.
They are close beside you when you eat,
When you drive your car, and when you are on the job.

You can never have efficiency or happiness.
They influence even the tone of your voice.
They require you to take medicine for indigestion, headaches, and loss of energy.
They even steal your last moment of consciousness before you go to sleep.

So if you want to be a slave, harbor your resentments."

I don't know who wrote this, but I thought it was really good. I have been dealing with the act of TRUE FORGIVENESS lately. It is difficult as human beings to forgive others when they do something to hurt us. To me, true forgiveness means that when you forgive someone, you never bring up the thing for which you've forgiven them for again. You don't hold it over their head, tell other people about it, or bring it up to score points when you're in an argument. It is a little easier to forgive someone when they admit that they have done wrong and ask for your forgiveness, but sometimes we have to forgive someone even when they won't admit their wrong or ask for our forgiveness. This is a lot more difficult to do but it is worth it. Harboring a grudge, being angry with someone, or being unforgiving is damaging to us physically and emotionally but, most importantly, it is damaging to us spiritually. Matthew 5:44 says, "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you." Matthew 6:14-15 says, "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." We all make mistakes in our life, some are big and some are small, but if we want to be forgiven by other people, and most importantly by God, we must also learn to truly forgive others.

I just want to thank everyone so much for all of the prayers for my granddad! He is doing great!! He was able to go to church twice on Sunday, a potluck after morning services, and a family get-together for his birthday Sunday night! And he didn't even seem tired after all of that!!

I am back home now and although I'm glad to be back in my house, bed, etc., I am missing my grandparents, mom, aunts, and cousins already! Not to mention my church family there and all of my friends!! I am so blessed to have such a great church family both in Tampa and in Conway and great friends and family in both places, too!!

Most of all, I want to thank God for all of the blessings, family, friends, and church family that I have! I have been truly blessed to have all of you in my life!!

God is so good!!

Hello everyone! I will be leaving Saturday for Tampa, Florida. My grandfather, JT Smith who is a full time gospel preacher in Tampa, is having open-heart surgery for the second time. The surgery is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, June 1, at 10:00 am Eastern time. I was unable to get a flight tomorrow, so I will be flying out on Saturday to help take care of my granddad, and help my grandmother in any way that I can. I'm not sure how long I will be staying...I guess it will depend on how well he does and how much help he and my grandmother will need. Please keep him in your prayers! Thanks and God bless you all!
Tara

****UPDATE****
Granddad had his surgery today and everything went well. He is in ICU in stable condition and is doing as well as can be expected. Please continue to remember him in your prayers! Thanks!!

I spent Sunday with a wonderful Christian family and had a great day!! Sunday morning started out with the blessings of getting together with my church family to worship the Lord. After services, I went to lunch with several members of my church family. I then drove my friend and her brother home. I was given a tour of the new home they are building and was shown around the farm. I love the peace and beauty of their land and enjoyed watching the baby animals play! I was then invited to go with this family to pick up her younger sister. We then went to church in LR and had another great service. After services we all enjoyed a great supper together. During the drive and supper we had some interesting discussions about the Bible which I thoroughly enjoyed. I had such a great time that I forgot that my little dog was home all alone and didn't have a way to go outside!! Woops!! But she was fine when I got home and hadn't had an accident. Yay!!

This family has been such a help and a blessing to me! I am so thankful to God for putting them in my life! I've never had a friendship quite like this one. I've had many Christian friends and have enjoyed my time spent with all of them. But away from church, most of these friendships focused on having fun. This friendship is different. Although I always have fun when I am around this family, I am also challenged in a way I never have been before. Their biblical knowledge is very good, their love for the Lord is huge, and their desire to teach others about the Lord is amazing! They make me long to be a better person and want to strive to serve Him more! I could go on and on...but I think you get the picture. I want to say thank you to this wonderful family for all of the wonderful things they have done for me and for so many others. Without this family, there are many who may not have ever had the chance to know our Lord, and, above all, that is the most important thing that we, as Christians, can ever do...teach others about Him!

This is an article written by my Grandmother, Geneva Brown Smith. It appeared in Gospel Truths magazine in July 2003.

This word miseo from which hate is translated is used in the Bible in two ways: (1) "of a right feeling of aversion from what is evil, and (2) of malicious and unjustifiable feelings toward others." (W.E. Vine)

God hates sin. Therefore, we must hate sin (Malachi 2:16). Solomon said in Proverbs 13:5, "A righteous man hates lying." Daivd said, in Psalms 119:104, "Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore, I hate every false way."

Hatred of others is strictly forbidden in the New Testament. In Galatians 5:19-21, it is listed with such vices as adultery, fornication, murder, drunkenness, and the like...things which God considers very serious. This Scripture says, "they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

Hatred is insidious in its nature, having a more serious effect than is apparent. It often creeps in on the wings of a personality clash. Two people in the church, opposites in personality, form a dislike for each other. Instead of staying somewhat aloof, so as not to cause a problem, they constantly bicker, and compete for attention. This often turns into hatred. OR, in a situation that is even more common, two people have a disagreement. Instead of working toward a solution that will give each of them some of what he wants, they each insist on having their own way. This often turns into an outright battle resulting in hate and revenge.

Hatred shows that one is spiritually immature. In Matthew 5:43-48, "You have heard that it was said, 'you shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy,' but I say unto you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your father in heaven; for he makes his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust."

Hatred carries with it some very serious consequences. It will keep you from being happy and content. As long as one hides bitterness, resentment, and revenge in his heart, there is no room for love and happiness. The most miserable people in the world are those who hate.

Hatred will harm you physically. Some research has been done in the area of how the mind affects the body. It is well known that one's mental attitude can either improve his health, or make him sick. We are told, "Whatever things are true, noble just, pure, lovely, of good report, if there is any virtue or praise, meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8)

Hatred will keep you out of heaven. If one hates, "he is a murderer and no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." (1 John 3:15) George Eliot wrote, "Hatred is like fire. It makes even light rubbish deadly." Bernard Shaw, famous playright, said, "Hate is the coward's revenge for being intimidated." Harry E. Fosdick, religious writer, said, "Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat."

Love is the cure for hate. God has commanded that we love our enemies. Because God commanded it, we know that this is possible. People, even Christians, may hurt and mistreat us, but we must pray for them. We are not commanded to LIKE what they do, but our dislike must not be directed at the person but at the action.

Some suggestions for overcoming hate: (a) Pray for the object of your hate. (Matthew 5:44) It will be more difficult to hate one for whom you have prayed. (b) Do something good for him/her. Often, a deed of kindness will alter your attitude of hate and put you on the road to forgiveness. (c) Try to understand the one hated. People come from all different kinds of backgrounds. Each of us is a product of his/her heredity and environment. We are all very different. It is impossible for us to see eye to eye regarding all subjects. We should recognize, accept, and yes, embrace our differences. If God has not legislated, one opinion is as good as another. If he has, then we should all agree and do what He says.