TRANSFORMING LOVE (RITE OR RONG?)

I got my lists

My grocery list

My lists of names

My guest lists

My lists of games

But my favorite list

Is pretty long

It’s a list about you

And all your wrong.

       Pensacola Helene

Rite and Rong got married and like any other couple they had their share of arguments and offenses. Rong began to notice after a year Rite was keeping a list of his wrongs. One particular thing on the list was the piece of china her grandmother gave her and Rong had dropped it one day by accident. In the second year of marriage Rite actually bought the lists out in the middle of an argument and by that time it was four pages long.

In year six of marriage, she had over a chapter of Rong’s wrongs and the china was still on it. Rong felt pretty bad when he heard all the wrong things he’d done to his wife over the years, but he couldn’t undo many of them. So he apologized profusely, asked for forgiveness a thousand times, tried to improve, and even had the china repaired, but to no avail.  Rite’s list lived on. Even though Rong tried to fix the china; Rite felt it was not the same anymor.

However, by the tenth year of marriage, Rong decided to start his own list. He couldn’t wait until their argument. When the day finally came, Rong pulled out his list right along with Rite’s list. For every one of his wrongs Rite quoted from her list; he quotes one from his list. This argument went on for a while, but with every word it changed Rite and Rong into two distance shores. The love they once shared seem to disappear into their lists of wrongs.

Rite was really impacted by the fact that Rong was now keeping a list too. It may her feel bad to hear all her wrongs thrown up in her face like that, but she had done that to Rong for years. Rong had tried to tell her many times that Love doesn’t keep a record of wrongs.  He even showed it to her in the bible and she had heard it at church as well. She missed Rong, but her list had become the ocean between them. How could Rite have been so wrong and Rong so right?

One day, Rite went to Rong with her list, but this time she burned it in the fireplace and then she asked Rong was he willing to do the same. Rong shook his head and she looked perplexed. Rong then handed her his list, there was nothing on it. Rite looked confused. “I never really had a list, Rite. I love you too much and couldn't keep a record of your wrongs.”

The changed everything. Rite and Rong lived happily ever after. They learned that nobody is right all the time and wrong is not meant to be kept on a list. And when someone breaks your china and apologizes; the china is still broken, but forgive and let God repair it. For no matter how carefully they may try to put it back together, it won’t be perfect. Only God can heal completely and we must always give our broken china to God to heal.

No matter how hard we try, we mess up with the ones we love. We do wrong sooner or later. But don’t start a list or record of those wrong. Instead, forgive others in the same way you want them to forgive you.  

Wrong can come from either party in all relationships and forgiveness must fix it.. Therefore, expect wrong to come along, tap you on the shoulder, and says, “Tag you’re it!!”

 Will you be Rite or Rong?

DR Pensacola Helene Jefferson

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