by Ricky Doc Sauceda
It is a hailing that God gives us over and over. And it is a keystone of our faith in Jesus Christ our Savior and Redeemer. I have heard people say "I just can't forgive - not right now anyway." If not now, when? Don't carry that burden on you because you must forgive in order to be forgiven. Jesus' last words on the cross were "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
I forgive my father, my uncle, my band director, my ex-wife, my ex-boss, my ex-coworkers, and every single person who ever wronged me...even the kid who knocked the daylights out of me on the school bus. I forgive all of my wrongdoers without reservation! It would be horrible if I didn't because it would be a barrier between me and my promised Kingdom - our promised Kingdom.
My father's story "A Noble Boy" is true and because of it, I weigh it against how he was towards me as I was growing up. It was only after a heart attack a few years before he died, that he did awaken to find the love of his life no longer at his side. He had remarried and started a new family and moved far away. He kept telling his new wife about all the regrets he was dealing with and she told him to "cut it out." He didn't and she asked him to leave and his second marriage ended. In a couple of months he made his way to Houston and came knocking on my door. I hadn't heard from him in three years, and when I opened the door he said "Hi son."
We embraced and he hugged Ricky and Teri, then we had a long talk...a lot of love would soon replace the old scars, if there were any left. He shared his story about the heart attack and his Born Again experience. I was just overwhelmed by this and more was coming. I was heading for my second separation at that time, I just didn't know it yet. I was soon hospitalized with Type II Diabetes and had a two week stay in a hospital...I was also in between jobs. After I got out, Yolanda took my three kids and left me. She told me I wasn't a complete man anymore and that she couldn't deal with it. I was feeble and needed daily walking to get my physical strength back.
My step-dad was a small man, but he would brace me upright and walk with me at a nearby high school's running track. He was living with me and helped me daily and my dad would come by and we would spend time together. As soon as I got stronger, Dad took me to his church - The Charismatic Center. He was praying daily and going to church several times a week and he was "meeting and greeting" like his usual self - he had always been a people person. He was introducing me to all of his new friends at the church.
Within a couple of months I found my new job, which is the one I just lost in January of 2010...seventeen years was way longer than any time I had spent on a job before. I have always known that job was a blessing from the Good Lord - the Holy Spirit told me so. (Dad would die within the next year after I started working there.) I soon had an apartment and one night I heard a knock on the door - it was Yolanda with my kids "Daddy kicked us out and I have nowhere to go." I didn't think at all about it and opened the door and we were back together just like that. The marriage lasted up until last March when we finally had our third and last separation and eventual divorce.
Life has been a pain in the nether region at times. Other times it has provided me great joy and amazement at the greatness of our Lord. I am going through another phase of being awed by Him and am very glad for the experience. He is going to point me towards another path because that is what He does. There is always a direction and a purpose - all kinds of possibilities. I await His prompting with great anticipation and eagerness. This is an exciting time to be alive in the world and I want to continue to share my joy with anyone who will listen to me.
Thank you for mom and dad, Lord. Thank you for all of the wonderful people you placed in my path in life. They have all helped to guide and influence the man I have become today. That includes Yolanda, who helped to provide the greatest treasures I will ever possess on earth...my children. In the end, there will be love and peace for all of us...and I mean all of you as well.