" Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and handcuffs of hate. It is the power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness” (Corrie Ten Boon)
" Forgiveness does not change the past,
but it does enlarge the future."
but it does enlarge the future."
" Only the truly forgiven are truly forgiving." (C.S. Lewis)
" Forgiveness offers tremendous personal blessing."
“ Forgiveness is not an emotion, it's a decision.”
“ Forgiveness is not an emotion, it's a decision.”
" If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you. But if you don't forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."
(Matthew 6:14-15)
(Matthew 6:14-15)
" Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32)
Forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply will probably be one of the hardest things you will ever do. The freedom you will experience when you do finally forgive will be worth all the pain and effort it requires! Ultimately, offering true forgiveness cannot be accomplished without outside help... and that help has to come from God, who is the prime example of Forgiveness!
* Acknowledge that you are as imperfect a person as the one who has hurt you. You too are in need of being forgiven by people you might have hurt in some way. You too need forgiveness from a perfect God. That puts you on the same level with the perpetrator / other person.
* Try to understand the other person; ask yourself what kind of suffering has occurred in his/her life; what kind of struggles has this person gone through that has made her hurt you so badly. Perhaps this person was abused at some point in his or her life.
* Recognize that as long as you stay angry at this person, he or she will have power over you. Your perpetrator might long have forgotten the injury inflicted on you, while you are allowing anger to seep the life out of you.
* Ask God to help you in this process. Think of the forgiveness He offers you through His son, Jesus... a totally free gift, which neither you nor I deserve! He asks us to pass this forgiveness on to our fellow human beings; not an easy task, yet He asks it of us and He knows that if we do that, we will find incredible peace and freedom!
* Let go any desire for revenge. It is God's domain. Only He knows what this person actually deserves. Inflicting revenge will only make you feel better for a fleeting moment. Ultimately, it will make you feel much worse. Realize that you might have to forgive your perpetrator more than once! Sometimes you need to make a conscious decision to forgive on a daily basis. Realize too, that you forgive with your will and not with your emotions. You will not necessarily be relieved of the pain you are experiencing, but you will have a great deal of peace and even self-respect when you are able to let go and release the perpetrator.Your past hurts may still linger but your heart will soon be free.Pray and believe that God will mend your heart in His perfect timing.
If you are still feeling hate towards the perpetrator and indulging in fantasies of revenge, the process of forgiveness might not be as far along as you thought. The freedom you find when you are able to forgive will be worth it!
Don't give up!!
Jesus was asked
"How many times should I forgive someone who does something wrong to me?
Is seven times enough?"
Jesus answered:"Not just seven times but seventy times seven!"
(Matthew 18:21-22)
" Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:32)
I was staring at the computer screen when I heard my favorite little voice say, "Mommy?" I turned to look at my sweet daughter and she said, "I sorry I lock you out of the bathroom last night." She was referring to an incident a few days earlier in which she had gotten angry with me and locked me out of the bedroom. After the appropriate discipline and discussion, we had hugged and made up. So, why was she asking for forgiveness again?
I looked at her and told her, "Honey, it is okay. You know not to lock Mommy out of the room now. You don't have to keep saying you are sorry." And then it struck me.... how like my daughter am I? How many times do I go before the Lord and ask forgiveness for the same things? Why do I feel like I have to ask, ask and ask again for God's forgiveness for past sins?
It was humbling to know that my daughter needed assurance of my forgiveness and of my love for her. Is that what we are seeking when we ask God to forgive our sins again? In Matthew 7:9-12, Jesus tells us, "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven good gifts, to those who ask him!"
Jesus wastes no words in telling us that even we, with all our failings and sinful nature, love our children and give them good things. God, who is perfect and holy, loves us and gives us the same things. I know that I love my daughter more than life itself. I also know that this love is only the very tiniest tip of the iceberg of the love God has for you and me. It is hard to fathom, but it is true. And, I know that even though she may make me angry at her behavior, that I forgive her - always.
God's word tells us that he forgives our sins, if we ask him. Always...period. His word assures us of that. In Luke 11:9-10 Jesus tells us, "So, I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who ask receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Ask, and it will be given...not half given...or half-forgiven until we ask some more.
Just as I forgave my daughter, and will do so again when she asks, God forgives me when I ask.... forever !
Jesus told this Story...
when the King began to collect his money. a servant who owed him several thousand pounds was brought to him.
But the servant did not have enough money to pay his master, the King.
So the master ordered that everything the servant owned should be sold,
even the servants wife and children
then the money would be used to pay the King what the servant owed.
But the servant fell to his knees and begged,"Be patient with me, and I will pay you everything I owe".
The master felt sorry for his servant and told him he did not have to pay it back,
Then he let him Go free.
Later that same servant found another servant who owed him a few pounds.
The servant grabbed him around the neck and said,"Pay me the money you owe me!.
The other servant fell on his knees and begged him.
"Be patient with me and I will pay you everything I owe".
But the first servant refused to be patient. He threw the other servant into prison
until he could pay everything he owed.
When the other servants saw what had happened they were very sorry.
So they told went and told their master all that had happened
Then the master called his servant in and Said.
"you evil servant! Because you begged me to forget what you owed, I told you that you did not have to pay anything
You should have shown mercy to that other servant, just as I showed mercy to you."
The master was very Angry and put the servant in prison to be punished until he could pay everything he owed.
This King did what my heavenly Father will do to you if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart." (Matthew 18:23-35)
#1) Because Jesus has forgiven us or our sins.
#2) Because resentment controls me.
#3) Because I will need more forgiveness.
4 simple steps on how to forgive:::
* By Relinquishing my right to get even.
* By Responding to evil with good.
* By Repeating these steps as long as necessary.
* By Rescuing others with the good news of God's forgiveness.
" FORGIVENESS "
I was driving down the road the other day when I saw a sign in front of a church. It said, "Forgive your enemies. It messes with their minds." As I read this sign I felt a smile come to my lips, a feeling of delight come to my heart, and a long, deep laugh come from my belly. When I finally stopped laughing at the joyous humor on this sign I realized something. What it said couldn't be more true.
A person whose mind is full of anger, after all, gives anger to the world and expects anger in return. In the same way a person whose heart is full of hate, shares that hate with the world and expects hate in return. Likewise a person whose soul is full of hurting passes that hurt on to the world and expects to be hurt again in return. It is a horrible and vicious cycle that eventually destroys the person’s life and harms everyone he touches.
It is forgiveness that breaks this cycle, however. It is forgiveness that messes up the mind full of anger and shows it that there is another way to live. When you forgive another you keep your own mind full of peace, your own heart full of love, and your own soul full of joy. When you forgive another you pass these precious gifts along to them as well. When you forgive another you live the way that God meant for you to live and you show everyone around you how a Child of God can make this world a better and more loving place.
Most of us don't spend too much time thinking about forgiveness; we worry, instead, about the injustices we have suffered and the people who inflicted them. God has a better plan: He wants us to live in the present, not the past, and He knows that in order to do so, we must forgive those who have harmed us.We must ask ourselves have we made forgiveness and letting go of our hurts a high priority in our hearts...If we ask God to help us with forgiveness, He will give us the wisdom and the strength to do so.
Keep on forgiving others then. Keep on loving them.Show them love from your heart. Keep on living the life that God meant for you to live. If you have to do it seventy times seven times then do so happily. God never stops forgiving us. Why should we ever stop forgiving others...
