Chosen

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. (Colossians 3:12-13)

I heard a story one time. Not sure if it really happened or not.. Two brothers were playing together. The oldest brother was adopted, the younger wasn't. As brothers often do, they started to argue. Out of meanness, the younger brother said "Mom and Dad love me more than you! I'm really theirs, but you're adopted!". The older brother shot back "No they love me more! They have to love you, but they chose to love me!".

Just think, God didn't have to love us, but He did. In fact, He chose us to be His very own. And just as a loving parent.. He see His children through eyes of love, cheering their achievements, ignoring their flaws. God sees us as "holy and beloved", even though we're often our own worst critic.

Since God's so forgiving and so loving with us, how can we possibly be unforgiving toward others?