Dear SCC & Friends,
If you forgive… ~Matthew 6:14
Reflection #186
Forgiveness does not come easily to us, especially when someone we have trusted betrays our trust. And yet if we don’t learn to forgive, we will discover that we can never really rebuild trust. ~Billy Graham~ Almost forgiving and forgiving are two different things. None of us get through life without being hurt and offended. In fact, it’s a fact… We are going to be disregarded, mishandled, abused, accused and otherwise. The ultimate issue is not what has been done to us but how we respond. Jesus did not just try to forgive us… Rather, He completely and totally forgave all our sins… As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. ~Ps. 103:12 Forgiveness is more than mere feeling… It is the decision (choice) of the heart that releases judgement and removes unhealthy control over another. Forgiveness is a gift from God that enables us to move forward, but it is not easy… Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have to practice it. ~C.S. Lewis~
If you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. ~Matt. 6:15 Who is it that we cannot forgive? Isn’t it amazing that we are willing and even expectant of God’s forgiveness while at the same time withholding forgiveness from others? He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven. ~Thomas Fuller~ It is built into the Lord’s Prayer… Forgive us our trespasses (sins) just as we forgive those who trespass (sin) against us… Our need for justice can hold us back from heartfelt forgiveness… Though justice be thy plea, consider this, that in the course of justice, none of us should see salvation… ~Shakespeare~ But God made a way through Christ our Savior… He came to pay a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay. ~Anon.~ And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. ~Eph. 4:32 We are made for these days… Keep up the good work!
Forgiven in Christ,
Kevin