Look Forward So You Don't Crash

                        Look Forward So You Don't Crash

In my 56 years of life I have had several car accidents. Some were my fault  but others were not my fault. Anytime we get into a vehicle we always face the possibility of having an accident. One way to avoid causing an accident is to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings, glance in your side mirrors and rear view mirror every now and then to see what is behind us or coming up beside us, and most importantly, "keep your eyes on the road ahead of you". 

When driving a vehicle, you have to keep your eyes on the road, if you are fooling with your cellphone then you are distracted, if you are looking for something in your purse, then you are distracted, if you are reaching in the floor for something you dropped, then you are distracted, and lastly if you are staring in the rear view mirror, you are distracted.

You might be asking, "Well, who would be staring in their rear view mirror" ?
I have been guilty of this ever since our car accident in 2014. You see, we were hit in the rear and it really messed up my neck and back, so now I am sort of paranoid that someone is going to hit me in the rear and I will get hurt again. 

I figured out real quick that if I keep doing this, that I was going to hit the person in front of me, because I was so busy looking at the vehicles behind me. You see, I wasn't paying attention to the vehicles in front of me and I was taking a chance on causing an accident that could hurt myself as well as others.

When thinking about driving and keeping your eyes on the road, we can apply this to our lives. I never thought about how looking in a rear view mirror was like looking at the past events in our lives until a few weeks ago, when I was talking to a therapist about things that bothered me, she quickly pointed out that everything I brought up was in the past. I wasn't worried about the future or the present but the past.

She told me the story of the rear view mirror. Car makers installed rear view mirrors so we could glance in them every now and then, to see what is coming up behind us. She made a point of repeating the word "glance". 

Our lives are like driving a vehicle, we are on this highway called "life", we need to always look at what is presently in front of us, if we keep looking in the rear view mirror at the past, then we will eventually have an accident.

Now how can one have an accident by dwelling on the past?. It is very simple, I should know because I have done this for years and years. By staying in the past, I neglected my present relationships, I caused unnecessary pain to those around me, I have become severely depressed because  I want something or someone that is no longer there, I have constantly compared my present life to what is gone, I have shed a million tears over things, places and people that I keep thinking about "in the past". I have failed to grow like I should as a Christian because my time has been consumed with "the past" and not with serving God, I  have failed to accept God's forgiveness, grace and mercy because I cannot let go of sins I have committed "in the past". I carry so much sorrow for failing to obey God's word.

All of this "staring in the rear view mirror of "my past", has cause me to crash over and over and over. I have caused pain to those I love, I have missed so many happy times because I have laid in my bed crying over "the past", I have developed hate in my heart for places and things because they are not what I had "in the past". I have lost so much time serving God, over growing as a Christian and even failing to share the Gospel because I cannot let go of  my sins that are "in the past".   I have caused my own mind, body and soul  so much grief and heartache because of dwelling "on the past". 

The past can be very joyful and very helpful. Our past holds beautiful memories and our past can teach us powerful life lessons, but I have learned that I have to glance, "In The Past" and not stare at it. I must keep my  eyes on the road that I am presently on, paying attention to my present relationships, my environment and God's word.

I can ask my family and friends for forgiveness for hurting them by staying "In the past" and I know I will be forgiven, at least I hope I will be forgiven. My family has tried over and over to help me with this issue. It wasn't until recently that I realized how much damage I have done by dwelling "in the past". 

Can this damage be repaired? I really hope so, I must first start by rejoicing in the fact that I have been given this beautiful life, this one life to live. I have been studying God's word the past few days , about forgiveness ,God's love and Jesus sacrifice.

Just think, Barbara, My God, my Creator, loves me so much that you see, at just the right time, when I was still powerless, Christ died for me, an ungodly person. (Romans 5: 6)  And God demonstrated his own love for me in that, While I was still a sinner, Christ died for me", (Romans 5: 8)

Friends, I know what scripture says about forgiveness, grace, mercy, but Satan has blinded me by using my weakness of dwelling "in the past", and I have let him get away with it.Since my car accident in 2014, I have been in so much pain and It has caused me once again to live "in the past",  when I was pain-free. I have let this pain rule my life.

I have failed to study everyday, pray everyday and live everyday in the present. 

I am hoping that this blog will help others that have been dwelling in the past, or that believe God hasn't forgiven them of their sins.

Satan is a liar. Scripture says, Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old has gone, the new has come. 2 Cor. 5: 17 
The person I 'was" in the "past" is gone, my sins are gone. God has forgiven me. 

Isaiah 43:25 says: I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake and I will not remember your sins.


1 John 1:9 says, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

If you are a Christian, you must be very careful to guard your mind because Satan finds our weakness and uses it against us, mine is "the past"

I have made a commitment to myself  to only glace back and keep my eyes looking forward.These verses will be posted all over my house, starting today.

Philippians 3:13-14 says (ESV)
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own, But one thing I do: Forgetting  what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Jesus Christ. 

Galatians 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life i now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself  for me.

Friends, I want to leave you with this last bit of wisdom:
We cannot change the past, it is done, over and gone, things change, people come in and out of our lives, our decisions may lead us down a road that is scattered with pain and heartache that we didn't expect , but in the end we must let these events of the past help us to grow into a better person, a stronger person.

When my dad passed away, a preacher friend of my dads, Bart,  was at my parents house (which is where my dad passed away) , anyway, I was crying uncontrollable as I sat on the bed , holding my daddy's hand, Bart came in the room,I stood up and he put his arms on my shoulders and quoted this scripture. This is one memory from the past that I go to and remember this scripture.

Colossians 3: 1-4
 
1Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in


Please pray for me , as I overcome this issue of dwelling in the past". 
Have a blessed day.

  

A New Creature/American Girl Doll

I am sure alot of you have heard of American Girl Dolls. These dolls are very well made, alot of attention is paid to the detail of these dolls and unlike other 18 inch dolls, if something goes wrong with one of them you can send it to the American Girl hospital and they will fix it (for a small fee lol). These dolls are also a little costly running about 110.00 each.
If you wish to obtain one that cost less, then Ebay is your way to go. Before Christmas, Cadie was looking at dolls on Ebay. She found a Samantha (Historical Doll) that was very cheap, what I mean by cheap is, she was about 40.00 compared to other prices of 150.00 to 250.00 because she is a retired doll and can no longer be purchased at the stores or in the catalog. Why was this doll so cheap? Well looking at the picture you could see someone cut her hair, normally Samantha has long hair, but this hair was cut short and not even the same length, but chopped up, in the picture she had a mark on her face. Her limbs were loose , which meant she was not able to stand up or hold her arms up, which is very important when playing dolls, lol. She was not a pretty doll, but Cadie begged and begged for this doll for Christmas  and as she put it she would  "SAVE HER" or FIX HER.

We purchased the doll and when she arrived  she was wearing Smanatha's Meet Dress, had red glasses on and black shoes, one had a broken strap and was holding an American girl school bag. Her hair , well it was a  mess. I looked at Cadie and said, "We can send her back", but her reply, "No mom we can fix her".
Cadie removed the dolls head, took out all the stuffing and began to tighten her limbs, she put the stuffing back in and now the doll would hold up her arms and stand. She then removed the wig from the doll, we washed her hair (not getting the cap wet), dried it and I use Armour-all to make her hair shine. The I began the task of cutting her hair to even it up and give her some kind of hair style. After we were done she looked beautiful, nothing like the doll in the picture on Ebay. She was remade, she is not perfect, but the difference was amazing. Cadie named her Scarlet.

This episode with this mistreated and unwanted doll made me think of how God views us.
We start out these newborn babies, no sin and then we grow up and life happens.  We make bad choices, sometimes we sin unintentionally because we are human, and so on and so on.
Some of God's people end up with drug addictions,depression, alcoholism, divorce, being abusive parents or spouses,athesist, murders, thieves, adulterers, gossips, liars and the list goes on and on. Our souls become dirty and our lives a mess, but God sent his only son Jesus to "Save US" .
John 3: 16 &17 
 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 

God gave "US" his ONLY son , but we must  accept this wonderful, precious gift from God , then God will "FIX US"
  Acts 2:38
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Cadie had complete faith in the fact that she would and  could make this doll beautiful again, make her able to stand and  to hold up her arms.

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and obey God's commands in his word, die to self everyday and live for God then we are able to stand and to hold up our arms in praise to our God above for this amazing change.

When we live our Christian lives with complete faith that God is real, that God does love us, that God does forgive us and he can change us, then we can be made over and made beautiful, our souls clean, our lives new, a hope of Eternal life with our Creator.

There is an old hymn called "Have Thine Own Way Lord" and I want to share a verse from that song:

Have thine own way, Lord!

Have thine own way! 

Thou art the potter, I am the clay. 

Mold me and make me after thy will, 

while I am waiting, yielded and still. 

You see we are like that American Girl Doll in God's hands and he can take us with our chopped up hair, our stained faces, and loose limbs and make us into something amazing, not perfect mind you but cleansed and beautiful

When you feel worthless, when you feel you have no purpose in life, you feel there is no happiness to be found, then I suggest you open God's word, read the Book of John and the Book of Acts.

Find somone to talk to that will share God's word with you.

EVERYONE is important in God's eyes and he wants no one to be lost.

Let God make you over. 

The Tongue

  

Have you ever given your tongue much thought ? It is a amazing part of the body.

We taste our food with it, we use it to sing and speak with, and to lick delicious lolli-pops.

The Bible speaks concerning the tongue in James 3:1-12. In this scripture James explains how we use bits in the mouth of horses to make them obey us and how a very small rudder can steer a huge ship. He uses these examples to explain how our small tongues can do alot of damage.
He also refers to the tongue as a restless evil that is full of poison.

I was in the mall the other day and heard a young lady, probably in her 20's, talking to two young men. She was very beautiful, but the language coming out of her mouth was very filthy, using this language it really took away from her beauty.

As Christians we are to strieve daily to be like Jesus and I can't see Jesus using profanity or speaking rudely to others. I also cannot picture Jesus running from person to person spreading gossip and lies about others.

James writes in verses 9-12 about how we Praise our Lord and Father, and with the same mouth, we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness.

How we use our tongues is very important in our walk God. Our speech is a witness to all the world concerning our relationship with God.  We have a choice as christians to use our tongues in a good way or a bad way. This choice will affect our witness to the world. Do you wish to live a life that is good and peaceful? Then watch your tongue!!! Keep your tongue from gossiping and carrying lies, keep your tongue from lashing out at people with harsh and profane words!!! Turn away from evil and only do good. God tells us to live at peace with everyone.Romans 12:18

As a christian you may be thinking that you never use profanity so you are okay, but to speak to another person with anger and rage is still damaging and cuts like a knife. Those words you just spoke can also cause the other person to react in a negative manner and thus begins the mud-slinging. In anger things are said that can never be taken back. I know from experience that I have said things that I wish I could take back.

Another way the tongue is damaging is by using it to gossip or spread a complete lie. How may times do we hear something concerning another persons life and we feel it is our duty to inform our entire town,city and state, now we may not even know if what we are repeating is the truth but we repeat it anyway. Gossip is dangerous, extremely dangerous. I have seen gossip destroy a good reputation, I have seen gossip destroy friendships, I have even seen gossip cause a marriage to end. James refers to the tongue as a small spark that can cause a great forest fire.James 3:5-6
Have you ever thought of how many lies the tongue tells. Usually what happens with lying is after you tell one lie to have to keep telling them to cover your tracks. The truth is so much easier. James 4:11-12

Our tongues when used  the right way can be a blessing to everyone around us. If we hear a tale about our brother or sister in Christ, it is better for us to either ask them about it privately or to keep silent and pray for them. I know if someone were telling tales about me I would want to know what was being said, instead of the tale being passed from person to person and getting bigger and bigger.Proverbs 12:18

Our tongues can bring someone down or lift them up. Have you ever met a person who wants to do nothing but talk negative about others and life? I try to avoid people like this or if I am around them I will not partake in their conversation. I prefer to be around positive people that choose not to gossip.

The tongue cannot be used to Praise God one minute and then scream, yell and curse a spouse, friend or stranger the next.

A true follower of Christ seeks only to please God. Let me repeat that...A TRUE FOLLOWER OF GOD SEEKS ONLY TO PLEASE GOD. God IS NOT pleased with a wicked tongue. Matthew 12:33-37
What we speak with our tongues is a product of what we have in our hearts. If we carry bitterness and hate in our hearts for even one person it will be revealed in our speech.

As christians we are to use our tongue for good. I get so excited when Saturday night rolls around, because I know the next day is Sunday and I have the priveledge of going to God's house. Standing in services on Sunday singing praises to God is the highlight of my week. I am sure when we sing praises to God it pleases him, but what about when we leave the building to go home.
Can we even begin to comprehend how much pleasure we bring to God when we use our tongues in the right manner.? When we choose to use our tongue to uplift others and encourage them , this brings great joy to our Heavenly Father. Ephesians 4:29

By speaking with a gentle and loving voice we can make our marriages better, we can turn away anger, we can improve another persons day and we can be witness to the world that God lives in us.

Do you love life??? Do you want to have a good Life???
Choose this day to tame your tongue. 1 Peter 3:10

As you go thru today try to do the following:
*Think before you speak, ask yourself if what you are about to say is uplifintg or if it is going to cause anger.
* Do not spread or even partake in the evil of gossip. Put yourself in the other persons shoes
   and think how you would feel if lies or your personal life was being talked about.
* Ask yourself if God would be pleased with words that you are about to speak.
* Always remember this: Once the words are spoken they cannot be taken back !!!!!

I have a goal for myself today: To think about every single word I am about to say before it crosses my lips.  and my prayer is for your day to be filled with sweet words.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Hear the Word of God: Romans 10:17    Acts 4:4

Faith:Hebrews 11:6    Acts 16:31

Repentance:Luke 13:3    Acts 17:30

Confession: Matthew 10:32   Acts 8:37

Baptism: 1 Peter 3:21  Acts 2:38
Live Faithfully:Revelation 2:10  Acts 14:22

Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes, Pride of Life.

I have recently finished a study about the first woman on this earth, and that is Eve.
Eve was created to share life with Adam. Genesis 2:20-24
God gave away the first bride and he blessed their union.

Before God created Eve there was only Adam. God commanded Adam not eat of the
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Genesis 2:15-17. After Eve was created she was made
aware of the rules that God had concerning the trees in the Garden.
As we continue to read Genesis we see that an unwelcomed visitor slithers into the Garden and he
was very crafty.Genesis 3:1 Not only is he known as the Serpent, we refer to him as Satan.

Satan used two major lines to appeal to Eve:
1.) He convinced her she could escape the consequences of disobedience. This was his most powerful weapon and he is still using it today.

Eve explains the commandment God gave them in Genesis 3:2-3, but she adds to God's command by saying that God said they could not even touch it. Eve did what alot of people do today and that is she added to God's word. Satan did not try to argue with Eve about what God had spoken, rather he convinced her the consequences of sin would not come and that she would become like God. Genesis 3:4-5. ,
What Satan did to Eve is still going on today. He is always convincing us there is no punshiment for our disobedience and then he convinces us will can be rewarded for our disobedience.
In our society today our children ssem to be lacking in being taught that there are consequences for disobeying or breaking the rules. We need to teach our children at an early age that negative actions will produce negative consequences. If we as adults learn to obey God's commands then we are able to set an example for our children. 
Satan's arguement to Eve was as follows: Eve could enjoy the pleasures of sin and
still escape the consequences.

2.) Satan offered Eve every type of inducement. Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes and Pride of Life.
We can look at it this way:
Eve listened to the devil (Gen. 3:4)
Desired forbidden fruit (Gen 3:6)
Eve Sinned Gen. (3:6)
Eve caused her husband to sin (Gen 3:6)
Attempted to blame her sin on another (Gen. 3:13)

Satan still causes us to disobey God by using Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes and Pride of Life.
We can read about this in the New Testament. 1 John 2: 15-17

The word LUST is defined as "Desire for what is forbidden; an obsessive craving." Lust as
used in   1 John 2:15-17  refers to the desire for things that are contrary to the will of God. Lust is NOT simply desire, it is illicit, unlawful or forbidden desire.

What is Lust of the Flesh:
The "lust of the flesh" often refers things our flesh desires. These can come in the
form of unlawful sexual desire, that which would lead to fornication, as is illustrated in the
 following verses:  Romans 1:27   Gal. 5:16

Lust of the Flesh can come other forms such as drunkedness, selfish ambition ,desire for material possessions, etc.    Galatians 5:17-20  Romans 13:14
When we give in to Lust of the Flesh we are no longer controlling our thoughts or our body. We let 
the "sinful desires" tell us what to do.

What is Lust of the Eyes:
The "lust of the eyes" obviously refers to what is seen, or what we want to see. The eyes enjoy things of beauty, or riches, and when we lust after those things it is the lust of the eyes. Our eyes love to look at "things" and "people". The problem is what we are looking at and how it causes us to react.
Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was pleasing to the eye, in other words.."It looked delicious and she wanted it".Genesis 3:6

Our eyes see things that can cause us to sin.
 2 Samuel 11: 2  Exodus 20:17
Everyday our eyes are  bombarded with various images from real-life, videos, pictures etc. What we choose to do with what we see is our decision. We also have a choice to turn away from the things that cause us to have "Lust of the Eyes". 1 Cor.10:13
A few years ago I developed a rule that I live by concerning the "Lust of the Eyes". Whether it be a song I am listening to, a movie I am thinking about watching or a magazine I may want to look at, I will ask myself first "Would I watch this or look at this if Jesus was sitting next to me".  (Because in reality Jesus is always right there with me).
Lust of the Eyes can take in alot of things, for example...Lusting after my neighbor's sleek, silver convertible mustang. Imagining how "good" I would look sitting in it. Or listening to music on my cd player while I stare at my daughter's Ipod which has the ability to hold over 3,000 songs. Looking at the house I live in and not being satisfied because I "looked" at other houses and compared them to the one I live in.
Like I said "Lust of the Eyes" takes in alot of ground.

Pride of Life:
When I see the term "Pride of Life" what I actually see is a life with a complete lack of humility.
The Pride of Life can mean anything that leads to arrogance, pride in self, presumption and boasting.
A "Look at me" attitude or "Look what I did" attitude is one way of understanding  "Pride of Life".
Eve displayed a Pride of Life in that she saw that the fruit was "good for food", "pleasing to the eye" and
"desirable for gaining wisdom". Genesis 3:6
SAtan told Eve she would not die but be like God. This is where Eve looses the triat of humility. She now has the thought in her head that she can be like God and know everything. That desire for the power of knowledge lead her to being arrogant. She wants this fuit because she wants this knowledge. She now is only concerned with self.
We can see "Pride of Life" thru God's word by looking at people like Cain who was too proud to admit his offering to God was not his best, instead of admitting this he kills his bother whose offering pleased God. Genesis 4:4-9
Moses who disobeyed God and hit the rock in the desert for water to come forth, he decided to do it his way and not God's. Numbers 20.
In the New Testament we see "Pride of Life" in Satan tempting Jesus. He is offering him all the kingdoms of the world if Jesus would worship him, he is telling jesus  "I can give you all of this"...in other words.."Look what I can Do". Luke 4:5-7

Eve experienced:
Lust of the Eyes
Lust of the Flesh
Pride of Life

These three actions are always connected. Satan approaches every human who is living on this planet to cause them to experience Lust of the Flesh, Lust of the Eyes and Pride of Life.  He is also always telling us that there are no consequences for our disobedience.
As a Christian it is my responsiblility to sit down, study God's word and know what I am up against.
To know God's commands for my daily living and to obey him in all things.
We are no different than Eve. God tells us in 1 Corinthians 10:13 he will not let us be tempted above what we can bear and he provides a way out of that temptation. The best way to avoid temptation is to be in constant contact with our Lord, always keeping the lines of communication open and studying God's word to keep in it our hearts that we might not sin against God. 2 Timothy 2:15 Pslams 119:11  Luke 18:1  Ephesians 6:18   Philipians 4:6  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

In studying about various women in the Bible, I find I am constantly learning from these woman very important lessons that help me to grow in my walk with God.
I pray that something I share with be beneficial to somene else. I want to be a Virtuous Woman in the Eyes of God.

WHAT MUST I DO TO BE SAVED?

Hear the Word of God: Romans 10:17    Acts 4:4

Faith:Hebrews 11:6    Acts 16:31

Repentance:Luke 13:3    Acts 17:30

Confession: Matthew 10:32   Acts 8:37

Baptism: 1 Peter 3:21  Acts 2:38
Live Faithfully:Revelation 2:10  Acts 14:22

A Basketful of Grudges

I love straw baskets. They come in every shape and size. I have baskets all over my house. Some contain books, others magazines and one is full of yarn. I love to take a basket to the beach and collect seashells.
I also love to take a basket outside when the flowers are in bloom and collect various flowers which will be used as a beautiful table display in my house.
There is one basket (I am ashamed to say )  I carried around that was full of grudges. I didn't realize until recently that I was carrying this basket. For years I have been carrying this basket, unaware, that one day I picked it up and never sat it down. As I look back over the years I now know why I was tired at the end of everyday. I was tired from carrying this heavy basket ful of "Unforgiveness, Grudges and Hate". 

My reason for never sitting it down, well, if I sat it down that meant I had to forgive and forget the person that wronged me. Wow, that is a hard thing to do. No matter how much we love someone when they offend us it is so hard to say "I forgive you" and never think of it again. We are human.

But, If we are truly serving God this task is easier to handle. God tells us in  Hebrews 8:12 (NIV)¹² For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

If our almighty and powerful God can forgive our sins, then we should be able to live by his example and forgive others. I will admit  that I decided 5 years ago when a very dear friend of mine destroyed the trust shared between us that I was never going to forgive or forget. My reason, if I didn't forgive or forget then I would always be on my guard and it would never happen again. Guess what,my plan backfired.

Everyday I carried around my basket full of the unforgivenss that I had toward my dear friend. Everyday I looked at it. Everyday my disgust toward my friend grew and grew.
Was this hurting our relationship? You bet!!  
It was destroying it , chipping away daily at the love we shared, the years of wonderful memories, the bond I thought could never be broken.

Until one day our friendship was over..........

Did I want it to end??? NO.
Was I saddened our friendship ended? Extremely

I realized I was the one who destroyed our friendship.
 Devastated , I turned to God's word for help. I needed help to fix this realtionship.
I opened God's word to Matthew 18: 21-35 and read The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
I was forgiven over and over thru my life by different individuals but I gave no forgiveness.
I WAS THE UNMERCIFUL SERVANT. What a slap in the face!!

I went to my dear friend, got down on my knees and begged for forgiveness. As I sat there on my knees ,with my head bowed and crying, I waited.....Would I be forgiven?? Did I deserve forgiveness?

The tables now turned I waited to hear those words.."You are forgiven"...

Time seem to stand still as I waited. . In the softest voice my friend said to me, "I forgive you". Just thinking of that moment as I write this brings me to tears. The shame I felt was overwhleming,  the regret of all the years we lost enjoying our friendship, the piercing thought of how I refused to forgive, but yet was freely forgiven without a second thought.
My thoughts immediatley focused on my God.
God loves us and he was willing to send his son to die for our transgressions. As Jesus hung on the cross he said to his Heavenly Father, "“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”^[a] And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:34
 
God tells us that we are to forgive somone seventy times seven. We read this in Matthew 18: 21, 22, :(American Standard Version)
  ²¹ Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
  ²² Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times seven".
This experience with my dear sweet friend has brought me to my knees with my Lord, asking him for forgivess. I have made a complete circle. 
Now when somone hurts me or mistreats me in any manner I immediately think back to my Lord hanging on that cross, carrying "My" sins but still having a heart full of forgiveness.  I have replaced my basket which was full of unforgivenss with love and understanding.   At the end of the day I am not tired from carrying this basket but feel refreshed .
If you are carrying around a basket filled with unforgiveness, I urge you to get rid of it. Carry around something that will bless your life, not destroy it.