Chapter 5
ESSENTIALS
TO
LIFE IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH
By
The Man Who Saw God Face To Face
Raphael Okechukwu Nweze
The Parable Of The Wise Traders
Some traders went to a merchant to buy costly goods. The merchant had the goods in abundance. When they got to the merchant, the man ordered his workers not to supply goods to any buyer who owed any debt. It happened that all the traders were indebted to one another, in one way or the other.
Among the traders was a wise one. He reasoned that somebody owed him some money. The amount was insignificant compared to the value of the goods. So, he went to his debtor and said, “I want to help you, so that you will help me afterwards. That money I gave you is no longer a debt; it is a gift. Now, go and get your own supply of the goods. When you have received it, remember to help me pay my own debt, so that I can get my own supply.” At this statement, the other trader rejoiced, exceedingly. He went to the workers, got clearance and goods.
Having received the goods, he paid the other man’s debt there and then. The wise one also got his own clearance and goods. When the other traders saw what the two traders did, they consulted among themselves, and each forgave whoever was his debtor. Therefore, they rejoiced exceedingly because each got his supply of the previous goods in abundance.
Interpretation: The trader refers to the peoples of all nations. Their debts refer to their sins. The merchant is the Messiah, and the workers are the Angels. Debts cancellations by the traders mean human beings forgiving one another. The abundant goods they received mean eternal life and blessings. All the traders were considered wise, because they took a decision that saved them.
Get Over Your Past
We all have past. It is either our prison, our excuse, or our springboard to the future. One thing is certain: until we break the chain that ties us to it, we can never move forward.
Recently, I saw a bulldog chained to a post in a neighbour’s backyard, and the chain was all the more cruel, because of the dog’s obvious desire to be free. Haven’t you seen the same thing? People, who should have been movers and shakers, reduced to nonentities. Why? Because they are chained to the past by an unforgiving heart.
Just a single chain around the dog’s neck incapacitated its entire body. That’s how it works! Bitterness is like a chain around the neck of your life; choking the life out of your freedom and joy, and making even the sweet taste of your success turn sour in your mouth.
May be you have been hurt, and you are saying, “I’ll never forgive them unless they admit what they have done, and ask for my forgiveness.” What if they never do? Why should your happiness depend on their ability to do what is right, especially if they are not in the habit of doing it? You are giving them too much power!
The word ‘forgive’ literally means to “get it out.” It has nothing to do with the other person. The test of love is to forgive the guilty. Are you struggling with parents who abandoned or abused you? Forgive and release them. Otherwise, you will waste all your emotional energy keeping them in the prison of your resentment. Think what that does to you. Whatever you do not forgive, you are destined to repeat. Unforgiveness is the umbilical cord that keeps you tied to the past. When you forgive, you cut the cord.
Nnadozie Chioma
Culled from
Successpont Magazine 2010