John Chapter 4: Verses 28-30 (NLT)
The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” So, the people came streaming from the village to see him.
The Samaritan woman had previously been shunned by people in her village. Most, if not all of the other women wouldn’t have been keen to associate with her. Yet the encounter with Jesus changed her so much that she wanted to tell everyone. She wanted everyone to share that experience. She bore them no grudges. And because she reached out to them, people went streaming out to meet Jesus.
How do we treat people who have misjudged or mistreated us? Are we willing to let go of the past? After all, did Jesus not come for them too? That’s how we know this lady had really changed. Her past had been forgiven; she was not looking back only forward. That’s what Jesus wants us to do!
Dear Lord,
Thank You for the chance You offer of a new start. I know it means letting go of the past and all the hurts that come with it. Thank You for the joy that comes from the forgiveness that Jesus offers. Help me not to hold on to the old things and ways, but to give them to Jesus. I pray in His Name. Amen.