 | Renewal Through Forgiveness Moses Reinhardt, San Francisco, CA - Tuesday, May 06, 2003
 I wanted to express why this Mother's Day has a special meaning for my mother and me. During the last year, I have seen God do amazing things in our relationship. A little more than a year ago, I moved to Silicon Valley from Portland. One of the many issues that were exposed was my relationship with my mom and how I had not fully taken responsibility for the bitterness that I had harbored in our relationship.
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14,15)
This was one of many Scriptures that I studied, prayed, and fasted over, asking God to change my heart and to help me take full responsibility for the pain that I caused in our relationship through silence, selfish arrogance, and ignorance to how she felt about my ignoring her needs. In August of 2002, for the first time in two years, I saw my mother and had the opportunity to spend a weekend with her. This visit was awesome, and I was able to share with her the things that God was doing in my life since becoming a disciple and how he had healed me from the darkness of my sin. For the first time in our relationship, I was open and totally honest with her about myself and who I am in front of God.
God continued to bless my repentance. This past Thanksgiving my mother and I had dinner together for the first time in four years. Not only that, but we were able to share dinner with my friends Maurice and Monica Lee and their family in Los Angeles. This was my mother's first exposure to my friends and family here in the San Francisco Church of Christ. Recently I went down for another extended weekend with my mother. This time, we had a much more intense and in-depth talk. She was open about why she had reacted the way that she had in certain instances and what she was actually going through. She also apologized for these issues, and both of us forgave each other for the wrongs that we had committed against each other. This Mother's Day holds special meaning for me as I am now able to enjoy it knowing that I have a free and clear conscience in front of God and that I am able to enjoy a deeper and pure relationship with Mom. | |