Monday 23 November 2020

POTATOES

 

One of my teachers had each one of us bring a clear plastic bag and a sack of potatoes.

For every person, we'd refuse to forgive in our life, we were told to choose a potato, write on it the name and date, and put it in the plastic bag.  Some of our bags, as you can imagine, were quite heavy.

We were then told to carry this bag with us everywhere for one week, putting it beside our bed at night, on the car seat, next to our desk at work.

The hassle of lugging this around with us made it clear what a weight we were carrying spiritually, and how we had to pay attention to it all the time to not forget, and keep leaving it in embarrassing places.

Naturally, the condition of the potatoes deteriorated to a nasty slime.  This was a great metaphor for the price we pay for keeping our pain and heavy negativity!

Too often we think of forgiveness as a gift to the other person, and while that's true, it clearly is also a gift for ourselves!

So, the next time you decide you can't forgive someone, ask yourself...

Isn't MY bag heavy enough?

Sometimes you don't realize the weight of a burden you are carrying until you set it aside and feel the strength returning to your arms.


25 comments:

  1. Dearest Victor,
    Excellent story, even though you show us apples and no taters as they say here...
    Hugs,
    Mariette

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ah ... two reasons for this:
      1 I did not have a photo of potatoes
      2 These are apples from my garden
      3 When this post appears on other websites, it attracts new readers who want to know why the photo does not match with the subject matter
      4 I failed Maths at school.

      God bless you, Mariette.

      Delete
  2. ...a great lesson, but what about those apples?

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    1. Sorry about that, Tom. As I mentioned to Mariette above, I did not have a photo of potatoes. Only an empty packet of potato chips.

      God bless.

      Delete
  3. That's right Victor, scripture tells us that if we don't forgive others God won't forgive us.

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    Replies
    1. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive ...

      God bless, Brenda.

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  4. Amen, Victor! You've illustrated the problem of an unforgiving heart perfectly.
    Blessings!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much my friend.

      God bless you and your family, Martha.

      Delete
  5. It would be a lot easier to forgive than to carry all the weight around forever. Good lesson!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, that is true; but many take comfort in carrying the hurt done to them because it makes them feel like victims all their lives.

      God bless, Bill.

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  6. Wonderful analogy! Plus, I really enjoyed hearing one of my favorite groups once more.

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    Replies
    1. The Hollies were good, weren't they? So glad it brought back memories.

      God bless, Mevely.

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  7. Thank you, Victor, for the lovely analogy. I never thought about non-forgiveness
    As a heavy weight, but this nailed it pretty good. It is a heavy burden to carry around. Have a great evening and blessings to you.

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  8. That was beautiful, reveals the nature of love and forgiveness, says it so well.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your kind words.

      God bless, Susan.

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  9. Brilliant teacher. Yes, unforgiveness is a heavy burden.

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  10. A great post ...
    Many thanks for including the Hollies music and words.

    All the best Jan

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