Fool me once...

We've all heard the saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." How is it that I find myself in a position where I have not only been fooled twice, but literally hundreds of times? Why is it that some people have an inate ability to forgive and to hope that things will be different even though they have been let down time and time again?

I think some of this comes with motherhood. I know that I am usually criticized by friends for being too quick to forgive my children. I have to admit that somewhere along the way I gained a soft heart. I can still be strict, but when my children fail, I am quick to forgive them and give them new opportunites to either fail or succeed. Sometimes it takes a few failures before they turn the corner and start to see success. But as a mother, I can't help but forgive and forgive and forgive.

When Jesus was asked how many times we should forgive, he said 7 times 70. The point he was trying to make is that we need to continually forgive each other for our shortcomings and our failures. But where do we draw the line between forgiveness and being used?

It is not always easy to know when you are being used. I suspect that I am being used, and inside things don't feel right, but yet I find myself forgiving someone for the same things over and over again, year after year. At what point do I stop and tell myself that this person will never change? That there is no hope left and that all my efforts are futile? Alas, love is the great conqueror and keeps me from giving up when all seems hopeless. I will keep trusting in God to give me strength and continue to show love and forgiveness to those who continually fail me and let me down.

Everything is Fixable

It has been a rather depressing week for me and I guess my frustration was showing today when a good friend stopped by my desk to see how I was doing. When I told him that I was having difficulty with my son, he said "Is it his health?" I said no, and then proceeded to tell him about the problems we were having. He said to me "Other than health, everything is fixable."

I thought about that for a while after he left. My problems seemed so overwhelming just minutes earlier, but suddenly things didn't seem as bad. He was right. No matter how difficult the situation, everything is fixable. I thank God for giving me healthy children. Difficulties will come and go and with God's help, we will get through them. Years from now we will look back and think "that wasn't so tough".

So now I am just praying for strength for me and my son to get through this difficult time. I know that God is in control and I am thankful that he has given me this fixable situation. I know we will all be stronger when we get through it. If you are going through struggles in your own life, put things into perspective. Give it to God and allow him to help you fix it. And be thankful that everything really is fixable.