Today I received the following message through a Daily Bible Passage group email, and I am called to share these words with you.
Forgiveness seems to be the issue that I need to work on, because everywhere I look, “forgiveness” pops out at me.
I pray that these words open your eyes and touch your heart, as they touched mine:
“Deep down, forgiveness means wanting for the offending party what God wants for that person: to live honestly as
someone made in God’s image and likeness, reflecting that in his or her choices.
People sometimes think that forgiveness requires lying to themselves—that the offensive action or omission never happened, it didn’t really do much damage, etc.
That approach to forgiveness can keep a person in an abusive situation, lead to serious financial loss or put someone’s life in jeopardy. It’s not forgiveness to make excuses for another person’s addiction or behavior and its negative consequences.
Forgiveness cannot change past facts but it can put them into a different perspective, a more life-giving perspective. For that reason, forgiveness and truth are allies, not enemies. Nothing worthwhile can be built on a lie.
It is appropriate to forgive someone when you can look in the mirror and tell yourself honestly, “I want for that person what God wants.” Until you can say that, you should pray for the grace to say it honestly. When you can, you will be free.”
Author Unknown
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