KevinPurcell.org

If you haven’t already, make sure you read this post about Favre feeding the Lions info on the Packers.  Don’t worry; I’ll wait for you.

Done?

The point that I’d like to make about this thing is that this is what happens when you hold a grudge or harbor bitterness.  If Favre did it, [UPDATE: Since Favre did it ...] he’s holding a grudge against Ted Thompson and the Green Bay for what he perceives as very unfair treatment.  He can’t get past it according to his own words.  It is coloring his life while we in Green, or at least many of us who are Packer fans, are moving on with a fine young QB named Aaron Rodgers.  But, before I throw Brett under the bus, as I stated at the end of the previous post (you did read it didn’t you? if not go ahead now) I was not surprised and quickly assumed it was true.  Maybe I’m holding a grudge.

Now when it comes down to fans and teams, its not like I’m not going to be able to go have dinner with Favre or he won’t return my phone calls.  He would have done that before.  He doesn’t have a clue who I am unless he Googled his name and found my post.  Hi Brett!

When this kind of thing comes between people who do know one another, then it threatens to do real harm.  Work place spats have led to people being fired, doing poor work, kept deserving employees from being promoted and put undeserving people ahead of those who should have been promoted.  And what does it do in families?  Marriages break up over this kind of unforgiving bitterness.  I’ve seen it tear church members apart and lead to families leaving a fellowship over something like this.  Pastors have been fired for less.

Jesus expects more of us.  He asked his disciples, "How many times should we forgive?  7 times?"  They probably thought that would be pretty magnanimous of them to forgive 7 times.  Then Jesus turned up the heat.  He answered the question saying, "70 times 7!"  And the point is not that after she hurts your feelings the 490th time you are off the hook.  The point is that we, who are full of sin and have probably been forgiven by god 7,000 times 7,000 times, should forgive every time someone needs it.  Notice I said needs it and not asks for it.

Brett Favre knows not my name.  But, even though you chose to leave my team and might be doing all you can to torpedo their season this year, I will still go to dinner with you and I won’t bring it up.  That’s pretty easy for me knowing its not likely to ever happen.  But now can we forgive those people we know?