Who Packed your Parachute today?

One of the stories as a result of the Vietnam conflict was about a Fighter Pilot in the Navy. Flying from his carrier doing missions over Vietnam yet on one fateful mission, he was shot down. He survived because the plane ejection seat did it’s job; his parachute did it’s job but he fell into enemy hands.

For 6 years, he lived as a prisoner of war inside Northern Vietnam but he survived and was eventually released. Many years later he was sitting in a restaurant with his wife when a man walked up to him. The man recognized the Pilot from the days in the Navy carrier.

This man new him because on that fateful day, he packed; rigged and prepared the pilots parachute. This man survived because of another man doing his job correctly.

My inside job for you is a question?

Who packed your parachute today?

Everyone has someone who provides what he or she needs to make it through the day. Our parachutes are physical parachutes, mental parachutes, emotional parachutes, and spiritual parachutes. We call on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachute.

Forgiveness: What a concept!

I will never forget the day, in which my father and I parted. He literally disowned me. Left me standing on the porch of the house I grew up in. Through the door spoke these awful words, "I don't ever want to see you here again. You have never been any use to me." Of course, this was 1 month after I accepted the Lord Jesus as my true savior and gave all control to God!

Yet, to say he was ever there for me would me a misrepresentation of the true facts. My father hated me and told me this every day, that is, hated me but loved my older brother. See, my older brother was the star of the football team, never had any problems in school and had many friends.

I have long since forgiven myself and my older brother but it took a little longer to forgive my father.

I have been reading the New Testament upon suggestion of a great brother. Not studying....reading. This morning I read the 18th Chapter of Mathew pertaining to forgiveness. God put on my heart,

FORGIVENESS.

'Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times should I forgive my brother when he sins against met? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, "I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times.

Okay, so I have read this verse before, probably a hundred times. That doesn't mean I got the big picture for this verse though. Read on...

Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began his settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt. The servant fell on his knees before him, 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' The servant's master took pity on him ,canceled the debt and let him go.

But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him one hundred denarii. He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded. His fellow servant fell down to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.' But he refused.

Instead he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

Then the master called the servant in, 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your servant just as I had on you?' In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.'

Whoa, I certainly don't want that to happen to me. I mean, I may be able to handle prison but the torture idea is definitely not on my "to do" list.

We all want to be forgiven on all levels, forgiving and to be forgave. There's a story of a son who literally hates his father. He leaves home yet his father still loves his son very much. He places an ad in the New York Times and requests his son, James, to meet him at the Broadway Hilton. On the day and time of meeting, there are hundreds of James waiting. The point?

This is a parable about us and our relationship with God, and our relationship to each other in terms of forgiveness.

We all long for forgiveness!

"God has forgiven our debs far greater than 12 million dollars. Our sin has run up a tab whose result is eternal death, infinite separation from God, hell. Those are the consequences to the debt that you and I owe. If you and I could be crucified 12 million times, it would not even scratch the surface of paying off the interest on that debt, let alone even touching the principle."

"Yet God, in his unfathomable love and grace, has canceled it through the life, death, and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. He has totally forgiven that debt in its entirety. Not only that, but you and I come out on the other side, with the gift of eternal life."

Before I understood this, whenever someone says something mean to me, I immediately responded by saying or thinking something mean in return. I'm sure that you have joked with friends, only to cross the line where you teased them with a statement that made everyone laugh.

Deep inside, you both were hurt. There are even times when you're angry with someone, so you choose to hurt that person with words. You use an indirect statement that outwardly does not sound bad, but inwardly you know it has stung the person.

However, there came a time in my life when saying something that could be interpreted as hurtful by another became painful for me. My goal became to obtain peace in such circumstances and to extend it to all those around me.

A moment of true forgiveness will end a lifetime of pain.

Ask God for assistance in dealing with your past actions and reactions, and it shall be given. Ask God to hold your heart in His hand, and He shall do so.

Take an honest look at how you have reacted to your brother or sister.

The inside job for this writing?

Ask God for forgiveness, ask your brother or sister for forgiveness, ask yourself for forgiveness, and forgiveness will surround you in its light.

Paul