Posted by Genie in Blog | 3 Comments
Forgiveness
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to have coffee with a woman I really look up to and because of (awesome) Miami traffic I was almost an hour late. But, she was gracious and she dropped some wisdom bombs on me in the area of forgiveness. So ever since then I have been looking up a lot of stuff on the subject. And you know what I found? Forgiveness is kind of a big deal, especially in the Bible. This verse kicks my butt!
Matthew 6:14-15:
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
WHAT? Did I read that right? If I don’t forgive… God won’t forgive me? DANG!
I recently watched a teaching by Perry Noble (from NewSpring Church) on forgiveness and he laid into it! Here are some points I really appreciated:
-“If you choose not to forgive you will be stuck in a prison and you WILL NOT grow in your spiritual walk.”
-“Jesus is saying it is a spiritual impossibility for a follower of Jesus Christ to knowingly hold on to anger, and bitterness, and unforgiveness in their lives.”
-“If you know Christ he will NOT let you be comfortable living in anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness toward another human being.”
If forgiveness is an area you are struggling with, I really suggest watching this teaching. Be warned, Perry has got one RAGING southern accent.
I believe the key to being a christian is being more and more like Christ and I truly believe forgiveness is a huge part in doing so. But, forgiveness is something that is hard, hard, HARD to do. It involves so much of us, our minds, our hearts, our pride, and so much more. And I am continually learning about what it looks like and even what it feels like.
Matthew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
What does forgiveness look like to you? I am so interested in this subject so share your thoughts.
I highly recommend the film The Heart of Texas for anyone who struggles with forgiving. It brought tears to my eyes.
Here’s a thought. Sometimes you think you have forgiven somebody and you’ve acknowledge it but Wen it comes down to it you may still hold a grudge or be angry with the person. Does that mean you have forgiven him/her? This is something I struggle with. Thanks for sharing your thoughts though!
Thanks Lou! I’ll look into that film for sure.
Matty: I struggle with the SAME thing. I’ll see a photo or hear a name and I’ll be bitter again. That leads me to believe for me forgiveness is an on-going process. Maybe one day I’ll be better at it. Right now it’s a BATTLE!