"And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world's healing hinges, but on God's. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself." Corrie Ten Boom
As I sit at my laptop and write this article, every story coming out of the medium in the world is announcing the death of Usama Bin Laden. Individuals in America are dancing in the streets, are using their cell phones dialing into talk shows and posting on Facebook to express their delight the supposedly king of terror was shot and died. Someone just stated that now that UBL is no longer alive, the kin of those murdered on nine eleven can now be at peace. Really? His death has the power to ultimately change their pained hearts into one of acceptance, rest and peace? Don't misunderstand what I'm saying, I believe it is important that justice be delivered whenever possible. Nonetheless when one has been awfully wronged, perhaps to the point of their very life being destroyed, what real power, aside from consolation, does justice have to heal those broken hearts and reconstruct their broken lives?
Ms. Corrie Ten Boom, the lady accountable for the quote above, went through incredible torturer and pain by the hands of the German Nazi's during WW2. Corrie was a unmarried lady who lived with her sister and aged dad in Amsterdam when the Nazi's came into being and began their capture of Europe, killing many millions of Jewish people in their conquest. The Ten Boom relatives was accountable for saving the lives of over eight hundred Jews, heading to being murdered by the Nazi's.
Corrie Ten Boom’s dad was a craftsman watchmaker and Corrie and Betsy who was her sister tended their family store in the little town of Haarlem. Until one day, they, together with other family, were harshly removed from their residence and taken to different concentration camps. It was in those concentration camps that her dad, her sister, her brother and a nephew all perished. From a human perspective, it makes no sense at all . Yet, there is not any greater power to release us from the pain, inflicted by another, than to pardon the person who caused it.
The alternative to forgiveness is destructive and can have terrible implications. It is like hate that smolders in the heart and smothers your very soul. It is so insidious that one is sometimes not privy to the damage it is doing, till it is too late.
Unforgiving people believe they are victims and feel justified in doing so. They're often obsessed with the wrong done to them and are fast to point out to anyone who will listen that no one has any idea how much they have suffered or how much they have been hurt by the hands of someone else. They're right, most people can't nor will they ever truly know the hurt of another, yet what is the benefit of staying in that unhappiness and attempting to draw others into it along with them? How can that be healing?
Unforgiving folks show signs that should warn them to the damage being done to their very souls as they continue to live out their unforgiveness. They're fast to claim rights. They also are very attuned to any wrongs done to them, with no regard for how little it is. They are obsessed with the bad things that have occurred to them in the past and are absolutely certain no one's circumstances were as rotten theirs were. They relish in the power their discomfort appears to give them over others and foes alike, as they seek to demand pity and understanding. They're oblivious to the agony their not forgiving inflicts on others and simply not understanding or caring that staying on their pain only serves to make everyone else around them miserable. In short, unforgiving people are some examples of the most unhappy people in the world.
Hence if not forgiving is an issue for you, what do you do about it? The very first thing is to recognize that God Himself has extended the offer of complete forgiveness to you, should you choose to receive it. You His unconditional forgiveness by accepting Jesus Christ and confessing that He's Lord and then asking for God's forgiveness. The Bible says we're all sinners and in need of God’s forgiveness so we could be reconciled to Him.
After you receive that forgiveness, Scripture tells us that you receive the power of God, thru God’s Spirit now living in you, to do the things He asks you to do, like to give forgiveness to others irrespective of how terrible the violation or abuse. It does not imply that you reject the incorrect doing or the discomfort it caused or that you attempt to excuse it or make a case for it in any way. It'd be wrong not to recognize and acknowledge something extraordinarily distressing and inexcusable was done to you and that it should never have occurred. It would also decrease the power of forgiveness to bring healing to a broken heart and a devastated soul.
How To Forgive Someone
To learn more about having an intimate relationship with God and experiencing His love that will truly set you free click on: Living Life Set Free
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