The Lord gave me a dream one Sunday, early in
the morning. I saw myself outside of a classroom. Then, I saw a young lady whom
I have known for some years. She was walking into the classroom and pulling
along a leopard as if it's a tame dog. The leopard had wounds all over its
body. When she was trying to settle the leopard before taking her seat in the
classroom, the animal went out of control and caused havoc in the classroom.
Everyone ran for their lives. The lady tried to control the leopard but to no
avail.
I knew what the Lord was trying to convey but
didn't know the purpose of the dream until I shared it to my husband before we
left for church. He was going to preach about blessing others that day. The
dream was an add-on in God's message for the church.
The Lord gave me understanding that the
leopard was that lady's heart. Knowing her background, she's the type that
keeps offense and hurts inside her heart though she appears to be fine all the
time. I know her struggles. Though she has sincerely been trying to be a
blessing to others, she still continues to hurt others with her speech or
actions, intentionally or unintentionally. And people tend to avoid her so that
they won't be hurt.
"As in water
face reflects face, so a man's heart reveals the man." (Proverbs 27:19
NKJV)
You see, your heart controls your whole being.
Who you are today is the end-result of the substance you have in your heart.
So, what you allow to be kept in your heart is very important. If you keep
offense, you will offend others. If you keep hurts, you will hurt others. But
if you have been receiving the love of Jesus, love will always overflow from
your heart.
Unrealistically, many believers try to appear
to be 'kind' people without allowing the Lord to heal and deal with their
lives. As a result, they hurt more people and outsiders judge them as having
'double-identity' or being 'two-faced' Christians.
"For if you
forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But
if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses." (Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV)
In Matthew 6:14-15, Jesus wasn’t telling you
about God's strictness. Our heavenly Father is loving and merciful, but He is
bound by the free will He gave to His creations. Your decision will determine
what flows out of your life. If you want to be a blessing to others, choose to
forgive those who had hurt or offended you, so that blessings could flow
through your life. Allow the Lord deal with you from the core or the root of
your problems and set you free. He can help you to forgive and bless without
having you to strive for it.
"But I say
to 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 rise on the evil and on
the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matthew 5:44-45
NKJV)
How do you know you have forgiven those people
who had hurt or offended you? The answer is, when you can bless them in your
prayer, then in your speech, finally in actions.
Once your life is cleared of offenses and
hurts, do not allow new ones to come in. Arm yourself with forgiveness and
God's love. My prayer is that your life will be a great blessing to many other
lives.