I had met Jesus during the summer of 1990; what an amazing year! Through the efforts of a local church; my family was drawn to an encounter with God; an encounter that would change the course of our lives forever!
I was employed at the time by a local manufacturing facility. I was a project maintenance technician. My job was primarily to install new equipment, which also required fabricating the necessary support apparatus required; things like steel decking, catwalks, chutes, ladders and much more.
Now, prior to me becoming friends with Jesus, I was quite versed in the ways of the world. What I mean to say is that, among many other things, I had a serious cursing problem . . . I knew all the curse words and was quite proficient in that particular dialect.
However, when I met Jesus, everything began to change; especially my language. After about 6 months of walking with my new found Friend Jesus, I really thought I was making great progress.
One evening at work, a coworker who had a special knack for getting under my skin, was pushing the limits of my new found patience. He was really getting to me and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I spun around and gave him a real verbal tongue lashing, using some of the more disgusting vocabulary I had accumulated over the years.
Now, to be sure, this was not the first time I had delivered such a tirade to this man; but it was the first time I had done it since I’d became friends with Jesus! My coworker was equally versed in this crude American dialect, and as always, gave it right back to me. After he uttered his comeback, he stormed away in a huff!
I stood there feeling awful and quite disgusted with myself for having stooped so low. Since it was the night shift, I headed out back of the building and went outside.
I got on my knees, and looking to the dark sky, I cried out to the Lord; “Oh Lord, I can’t believe I said that to him.” In the quiet darkness, I thought I heard the Lord say back to me; “I do!”
I apologized to the Lord for the unkind and ugly words I had spoken to my coworker; and I asked God to forgive me. The Lord, as always in His kind voice, assured me that I was forgiven. I felt relieved, and as I stood up to go back inside, the Lord said to me; “Now I want you to go in there and apologize him.”
WHAT!
“Wait a minute Lord; you don’t know him like I know him. If tell him I’m sorry, I’ll never hear the end of it! He will only get even angrier with me.” I could tell that the Lord was serious about this and that He was not going let me get out of it.
So . . . I went and tracked down this guy whom I had excoriated a half hour ago. I pulled him aside and told him how very sorry I was that I had said such unkind words to him.
He looked intently at me; then he proceeded to tell what a blankety blank blank jerk I was and then he told me to go and blankety, blank . . . you get the idea!
He did just what I knew he would do . . . and I had it coming. The thing is; after God pressed me to do the right thing with that guy; the whole cursing thing was over and done with! I don’t think I have ever used a curse word since and it has been nearly 30 years!
God will discipline those He loves . . .
When was the last time God showed you some love?