Trespassers

 June 27, 2021

It amazes me how a Scripture so familiar I know it by heart can catch me by surprise with conviction. This morning in worship, we again prayed the Lord’s Prayer together. For some, it may be something spoken by rote, but today when we came to where the prayer says, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,” I was snapped to attention by the words.

Two days ago, I wrote about the kids at the swimming hole who were acting disrespectfully and defiantly, even refusing to leave when told. They were in a word, trespassing, and I was not happy with them. As it turns out, so was I, and though unhappy with me, God forgave me. Now he is giving me the opportunity to put into practice the prayer we pray every week, with the clear caveat: if I refuse to forgive their trespass, I have no reason to expect I’ll be treated any differently than I treat these rebellious, disrespectful, difficult, but also lost and hurting kids. 

Though the day was hot and muggy, and our side yard is almost overflowing with community people enjoying the water, this particular bunch of boys have kept a pretty low profile, so I suspect I’ll have to keep an eye peeled for them. But search for them, I will, because that’s what Jesus did for me, and I cannot in good conscience pray his prayer if I haven’t forgiven, ie, let go of, that trespass, and made an effort to eliminate it. The only way to ensure they do not trespass again is to welcome them as if our property were theirs. The boundaries will still be in place—not merely the geographical boundaries, but the ethical and spiritual boundaries as well. 

Next Sunday, i hope to again pray that prayer in a more personal way, with a joyful heart and a clear conscience: “Forgive me my trespasses, as I forgive those who trespass against me.”