God Moments

Band Together

by joseph jones

Colossians 3:12-13

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." (NLT)

In high school, I was a part of the marching band and played the only french horn. I was well acquainted with many and had some good friends in the band. However, there was a goofball in the class named Jeff. He was still learning how to play his instrument, the baritone, and how to march. The newbie was a good kid but had a tendency to take things too far without realizing it. One day I was stuck on the bad end of the stick, when Jeff and I started playfully hitting each other. Jeff went too far and kicked me in the face. The kick was hard enough to give me a bloody, busted lip. Even if I was livid, I did not retaliate but reported it to the assistant principal's office. The assistant principal talked to both of us and decided not to punish Jeff. His reasoning was since both of us were playing around, both of us were at fault. Getting kicked in the face was just the consequence of our actions.

After hearing that I was angry and felt I did not get justice. However, I forgave Jeff because I did not want to hold on to bitterness. If I were distracted by unforgiveness, it would have been a massive detriment since I was the only french horn player. I put my band and friendship with Jeff first before my own feelings of anger and bitterness. Now we joke about the incident since becoming friends again. That would not have benefited the band or me if I had held hatred in my heart. Furthermore, it would have made the band suffer if I had kept a grudge against Jeff.

Nowadays, when so many are offended and want to be a victim, it can be hard not to do the same. We, as Christians, see plenty of things that can anger and embitter us—abortion, crime, and the decline of cultural powers and a biblical worldview, to name a few. However, we should not become like the Pharisees and strict rule followers without a change of heart; we need to become like Jesus. The man willing to turn the other cheek, who healed multiple people for no cost, died on the cross for our sins. Whether through evangelizing, donating time and money to nonprofits, or even doing favors for other people, we can light up the world with love even though it seems to be going downward. However, you don't have to harbor hatred in your heart while serving God. Choose to forgive.

Prayer

Thank you, God, for another day you have given us. Please forgive us for holding anger and bitterness against others. Unlatch our hearts to be compassionate to friends, families, strangers, and enemies. Keep our minds open to relate to others, but give us the strength to hold steadfast to our faith. We, as your followers, want to show the world how beautiful your love can be.