An
enemy takes up more space in our head than a friend in our heart.
There
is no human being who does not deserve our forgiveness. There is no
human being who does not deserve our love and the power to forgive
is one of the greatest powers given to us, human. The following
composition has been
inspired by a forwarded email about forgiveness.
To
forgive is part of the
nature and essence of God, and when we exercise it, we assume godlike
stature. We have the power to forgive and
we have the opportunity to rise above the
pettiness of mortals.
It
doesn't take strength to hold a grudge but it takes strength to let go of
one.
Choosing
to forgive another is one of the hardest things most people ever do,
especially if it's undeserved. It's hard because it's not human
nature. Human nature cries out for revenge and retribution. But why
get stuck with human nature?
Forgiving
is not forgetting; it is letting go of the hurt.
Jesus came to bring
forgiveness and salvation from sin, but He also came to save us from
human nature. When we receive Him as our Savior, we receive a
measure of His superhuman nature.
Once we have received
Him, how much that superhuman nature rules in our life is up to us,
and that is reflected in your choices.
Since one of the most
outstanding traits of His nature is a readiness to forgive, how quick
we are to forgive others is a pretty good indication of whether or not
we're letting His superhuman nature take charge.
The person
who has wronged us is not the central issue, the central issue is that we
are doing
the right thing.
Realistically,
no one really
deserves forgiveness. If others have done wrong, they deserve a just
punishment. But forgiveness is greater that justice.... Justice is human;
forgiveness is divine,
Let's forgive others who
have wronged us, as our heavenly Father forgives us because
to
err is human and to forgive, is divine (Alexander
Pope).
By Tim Pedrosa
The
difference between holding on to a hurt or releasing it with forgiveness
is like the difference between laying your head down at night on a
pillow filled with thorns or a pillow filled with rose petals.---Loren
Fischer |