I just finished reading/listening to the
Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, so I have had forgiveness on my mind. I read this novel back in the late 70’s, and could only remember bits and
pieces of it, such as how her and her family forgave others during Hilter’s
reign on Holland. Would I be able to
have their faith and forgiveness? Would
I treasure God’s word the Bible, like
they did? Instead of being blinded by hatred,
would I be able to show the Nazis and Germans the love of Christ? I highly
recommend this novel to read or reread, plus it is a short easy read. I am also trying to listen to the Monuments
Men which is over 15 hours long. I have
not seen the movie yet which would have been easier than listening for 15 hours. This novel gets me thinking about forgiveness
also, and the many that lost their lives in that horrid war. One can’t wonder if we will be involved in
more bloody wars, as we listen to the nightly news.
Back in the 80’s, I wrote about the
subject of forgiveness for an English class and then gave a speech for the
dreaded speech class. I remember
discussing how Corrie Ten Boom forgave her prison guard and shared the love of
Christ and His forgiveness with the former Nazi. I also discussed how we are forgiven from our
sins and the Bible. I got very
supportive comments from the class and professors. That was the 80’s and not the 2014’s of
university life. After watching the
movie God’s Not Dead, I am not sure if I would have gotten away with it in
today’s world. I also highly recommend this
movie. To get into UNO’s teaching
college we had to write an essay on a prized possession, and I wrote about the
Bible, and they still let me in.
Forgiveness
None of us are perfect. All of us have done things that are wrong and
said things that we wished we could retract. We all sin and are sinners. We will stop sinning when we hit the
grave. A friend of mine wants to have on
his headstone something like “he stopped sinning”. Forgiveness is a need we
cannot avoid, a choice we must make benefiting both the giver and receiver.
And
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 any one; just
as the Lord forgave you, so also should
you. Colossians 3:12.13
Let us look at forgiveness as being an
essential foundation stone for building close relationships with others: the
firm foundation being God’s forgiveness, our basis for forgiving others.
Forgiveness is a need I cannot avoid. Throughout the Bible I am commanded to
forgive. My life consists o times when I
need to ask and offer forgiveness.
Offenses and hurts are a normal part of life. I deal with those hurts and offenses in many
different ways. I find it is easier to
offer forgiveness than to ask for forgiveness.
I am usually willing to forgive since they have made the first step by
asking. It is easy for me to offer
forgiveness for minor offenses: a shove in a crowded hallway, a late arrival,
or an “I’m sorry”, from a child. Most of
the time, I find myself ignoring offenses instead of confronting and dealing
with them. Ignoring offenses is like
sleeping under a wool blanket: sooner or
later the itch gets to you. Now that I
am not back in the 80’s and much older, I can add another one called forgetting. I tend to forget offenses against me, or even
worse I may offend one with my words or humor and not even know that you have
been offended. My girls have accused me
of being clueless. So I am taking the
time to ask for forgiveness for an offense that I may had done or said, and
forgotten about or was clueless of. Maybe
that is why you see less of a divorce rate among the elderly, because they just
can’t remember offenses a day or in my case hours later. “What was I mad about yesterday?” This also involves my prayer life; I must ask
the Lord for forgiveness as soon as I commit an offense before I forget.
I find it especially hard to ask for
forgiveness. I must first conquer my
pride. It is so hard to swallow my pride
and admit I was wrong. Swallowing my
pride is like trying to swallow a giant pill the doctor has prescribed. It takes a few tries to get down, but once it
starts working in my system, I am feeling better.
Forgiveness is a choice. I can choose to forgive or resent. When I choose to forgive, it is my way of
communicating love to another. Let us
consider the phrases, “I love you,” and “I am sorry.” I find that saying “I am sorry” is much harder
to say than the other. When I muster up
the courage to say “I am sorry,” I am communicating love. This love I am expressing is a continual
love; yes, I do want to continue my relationship with you. I wonder if people would put forgiveness into
daily practice, would it cause the world to be a better place in which to
live. If people practiced more
forgiveness, maybe there would be less divorce, fewer broken relationships and
diminished hurt feelings.
Since forgiveness is a choice, I can choose
to resent. This resentment can be expressed
in many ways, such as bitterness, anger, vengeance, and slander. Whenever I see any of these in my life, I
stop and ask myself is there someone I have not forgiven. I feel that there is a lack of forgiveness in
our world today. The news is full of
stories of bitterness, anger, and vengeance.
In our society it is common to think of getting even when one is
hurt. We tend to cheer on vengeance- an
eye for an eye. Someone gets even with somebody
who has it coming, and he is an instant hero.
One hears reports of death row prison inmates being put to death as
their victim’s relatives watch filled with bitterness, anger, and
vengeance. I wonder if after justice has
been done, are they free of their bitterness?
Do they carry it in their hearts the rest of their lives? What would I do if a drunken driver took the life
of a member of my family? Could I
forgive a murderer, rapist, or a child sex offender that has violated me or my family? I can choose to resent which allows
bitterness to cut the nerve to my emotions.
Forgiveness benefits both the giver and
receiver. When I forgive, the receiver
of my forgiveness and myself are set free from unhealthy emotions allowing love
a chance to escape. I can then put on a
heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. After a long
tiring day, I sometimes find myself cranky, nagging, and losing my temper over trivial
things. Saying the words “I am sorry,”
reinforces the love between me and my husband and daughters.
I want to obey God and forgive others, but
what if someone has hurt me so much that it is beyond my power to forgive? I would have to call upon God’s strength and
power to allow me to experience the forgiveness that I require. God wants me to forgive others just as He has
forgiven me. God’s forgiveness is the
pattern for me to follow in forgiving others.
I have been forgiven through God’s free
gift of grace. When I hear the word
grace, I look at it as being an acrostic:
God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. God’s riches are
His forgiveness, peace, joy, love, and eternal life in heaven. Christ’s expense was the crown of thorns,
nails in His hands, and His suffering and death on the cross to pay for my
offenses, hurts, and sins. Grace is the foundation of God’s forgiveness.
Forgiveness is a need that I cannot
avoid; a choice I must make benefiting myself and others. Hurts are a normal part of life so daily, I
must make choices to forgive or resent.
Hurts can cause deep wounds that can only be healed by forgiving. When I forgive it is like performing spiritual
surgery inside my life cutting out the anger and bitter feelings and replacing them
with love. I receive my strength and power
to forgive from God. I must use this
power to forgive others in the same way that God has forgiven me, freely and
completely.
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