No Sweeter Word

Yesterday we had one of those mornings. Bible Study starts at 9:30 but we have to be there early so we usually head out of here around 8:20 or so. Not yesterday morning. It all started out fine. I got up and got myself ready before the kids were up. Around 7:40, I woke Jonah up and got him fed, bathed, and dressed. While we were brushing his teeth, we heard stirrings from the baby monitor. Esther Grace was up and Jonah was so upset. He loves to go into her room on these mornings and wake her up himself, usually with a song, dance and a smile. It makes him feel like such the big brother. This morning he was beside himself that he didn't get to exercise his authority over her and he was very clear that she was such a bad sister for waking herself up. I explained that he needed to have a loving heart. We've been talking about rejoicing with others and having a happy heart so I tried to explain that this was the perfect opportunity to celebrate with Sister instead of the obvious route we were going.

     "Yay! Esther Grace is so BIG! She woke up all by herself! Isn't that wonderful??!!!!!" (I may have thrown in a little leprechaun-like leap and a few jumping jacks for good measure.)
     "No, it is NOT wonderful, Mommy! That is MY job. I'M supposed to wake her up. Her's being a BAD girl. Bad! Bad! Bad!" I knew I had to intervene quickly.
     "Okay, Jo. Here's the deal. Gracie's getting up and I'm sorry that you didn't get to wake her but that's just the way it happens sometimes. So-we're going to put a smile on our face, a song in our heart, and be happy this morning, okay?" All I got was a pout. I started to brush my teeth and Jonah disappeared on a mission to retrieve his shoes from somewhere in his room.

Then, I heard him on the baby monitor. It didn't sound good.
That was definitely a yelp.
Followed by a full-fledged holler.
Okay-that's crying.
Great.

He came back like everything was completely normal.
"Jonah, did you hit your sister?"
"Oh, no. Her just hit herself." Riiiiight.
"Jonah, did you hit your sister?"
"No." (Shrug.) "I don't know why her would do that but her just went -boomp- and hit her head."
"Jonah. Did. You. Hit. Your. Sister."
"Sooooorrrrrryyyyyy."
UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!

Later, I found out that he actually hit her with a closed fist right in the middle of her forehead. (There wasn't a mark so either he didn't hit her all that hard or his arm was just too short to reach her all the way in her crib.) Needless to say, he got FOUR spankings. Two for hitting and two for lying about it. FOUR! All before 8:00 in the morning! I should've known this was the way the morning was going to go. We're studying Isaiah and that particular week's lesson was on Isaiah 5. A huge time-out for Israel. Really bad spankings from God for His disobedient children.

"Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit." Isaiah 5:2b

That evening, I was telling Bear about it and Jonah walked in on our conversation. (I try not to tell these stories in front of him because I don't want him to think that we're bragging about his misbehavior. That and sometimes they're really funny and I don't want him to see us laughing about it.) He stopped when he realized what we were talking about.
     "No. Don't say that Mommy. Don't say that to Daddy. I don't want you to talk about it to him." Bear interjected,
     "It's good to be ashamed of our sin, isn't it Buddy? I'm glad that you feel sorry for your sin. That means that you know it's wrong." I added,
     "You know what makes it better. It's when we learn from our sin and choose to follow God's Ways because His Ways are so much easier and better!"
Jonah nodded in agreement, a smile beginning to appear on his little face.
     "And you know what's the best Buddy?" Bear said.
     "What Daddy?"
     "That we're forgiven."

Forgiven.

There are four main Greek words used for 'forgiven' in the New Testament but here are my two favorite.

charizomai meaning "to release a person from the obligation of repaying what is owed" derived from "charis" which means "God's freely given grace"

apoluo meaning "set free, release, pardon a prisoner, release a debtor, to remove the guilt resulting from wrongdoing"

Anyone need release? Need to be set free? Need some guilt removed? I'm right there with you.

"This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Then he adds: Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:16-25

Forgiven.

I can't think of a sweeter word.