The best choice anytime

by Tami Rudkin
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 2:57 PM MST

I love teenagers.

They are sometimes loud, often know-it-alls, and mostly direct. Young teens are still idealistic and hopeful.

Every day of every week, I have an almost teen in my car and a couple of days a week, I have two. I hear all kinds of conversations; mostly about the intertwined relationships at school.

One day, these two girls were talking about how one person had hurt one of their friends. They were discussing the reasons why and who said what, when all of a sudden one of the girls said, "Mercy is the best choice anytime."

They went on to discuss the benefits of forgetting about the way that person had hurt them and to move on.

It was a priceless moment, especially since I ran my car off the road in shock. Not really.

But it did remind me of a story that Tony Evans tells:

BEGIN ITAL

One day, two monks were walking through the countryside. They were on their way to another village to help bring in the crops. As they walked, they spied an old woman sitting at the edge of a river. She was upset because there was no bridge, and she could not get across on her own.

The first monk kindly offered, "We will carry you across if you would like."

"Thank you," she said gratefully, accepting their help. So the two men joined hands, lifted her between them and carried her across the river.

When they got to the other side, they set her down, and she went on her way.

After they had walked another mile or so, the second monk began to complain.

"Look at my clothes," he said. "They are filthy from carrying that woman across the river. And my back still hurts from lifting her. I can feel it getting stiff."

The first monk just smiled and nodded his head.

A few more miles up the road, the second monk griped again, "My back is hurting me so badly, and it is all because we had to carry that silly woman across the river! I cannot go any farther because of the pain."

The first monk looked down at his partner, now lying on the ground, moaning. "Have you wondered why I am not complaining?" he asked.

"Your back hurts because you are still carrying the woman. But I set her down five miles ago."

END ITAL

Isn't this how so many of us deal with the hurtful situations of our lives? We trudge along the path of life complaining to whoever will listen.

Eventually, the hurt is so imbedded in our hearts (and sometimes our physical body) that we cannot go on.

The pain is too great.

And now the pain isn't from the original offense; it is from the bitterness we have allowed to fester in our souls. Bitterness is a heavy burden.

Bitterness destroys hope. Bitterness usurps joy. Bitterness binds up generosity.

Bitterness distorts blessings. Bitterness stunts personal growth. Bitterness buries love.

Bitterness is a choice. It is a choice to continually lament your misfortune or to cry over another person's cruel actions.

It is a choice, your choice and mine, to carry around the hurt long after the situation has occurred.

So will you put down the burden of hurt and say with my little teen friend, "Mercy is best choice anytime."?

The journey will be a whole lot sweeter, and the pain in your injured heart is sure to subside.

(Larry and Linda Kloster sponsor this column.)

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