FORGIVE

So, You May be Forgiven

My reaction when someone does something against me these days is… “Great! Now I have to forgive you”. I don’t want anyone or anything standing between me and God’s blessings. It means more to me to be blessed than to harbor feelings of resentment towards anyone.

Forgiveness does not mean forgetfulness. We cannot force ourselves to forget the offense. It does mean that when we remember we no longer harbor those strong feelings of resentment towards the one(s) that offended us. One way to get rid of those feelings of resentment or hatred is to pray for that person whenever they come to mind. Matthew 5:44: "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you."  Forgiving others sets us free. However, sometimes we may need to move on from certain individuals. We may need to forgive them from a distance.

We must also be willing to apologize when we are in the wrong. It will make it a lot easier for the person we have offended to forgive us. We must try not to become a stumbling block to our brothers and sisters.