Forgive: "to cease to feel resentment against" (Merriam-Webster).
Forgive: "As used in the scriptures, to forgive generally means one of two things: (1) When God forgives men, He cancels or sets aside a required punishment for sin. Through the Atonement of Christ, forgiveness of sins is available to all who repent, except those guilty of murder or the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost. (2) As people forgive each other, they treat one another with Christlike love and have no bad feelings toward those who have offended them" (Guide to the Scriptures).
Typing those words was easy, the application is much harder. I think the hardest part for me when I decide/choose to forgive someone is to have no bad feelings toward them...Sometimes, forgiving someone doesn't come quickly. At times, it's only through Christ that I have the ability to forgive.
There have been times when I think I have forgiven and I have moved on, and suddenly I am faced with a similar situation and all those feelings of resentment and hurt rush right back. I then must choose again to let all of that go, to forgive once more. Perhaps this is what is meant when Christ answered Peter's question about how often he should forgive: "I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21-22).
All I know is that it takes effort to forgive. It's an effort of the heart, to "Forgive men their trespasses" (Matthew 6:14). Sometimes those "men" are my father, my brothers, my sisters, my husband, my children, or perhaps my mother. In the big, big, big picture it's these people that I want to be with forever. Forgiveness makes that a source of joy and the atonement of Christ makes it a very real possibility. This I testify.
 |
| This sister of mine...I am so grateful she chooses to forgive me and me her over and over again. Honestly, she's very easy to forgive... |
No comments:
Post a Comment