Achieving Forgiveness

After talking about truthfulness and trust, it seemed a logical progression to talk about forgiveness.

Forgiveness is something else that is sometimes hard to achieve, especially the more wronged you have been. Small incidents and grievances are more easily forgiven than big ones, but we are supposed to forgive anyway so that we may be forgiven in return.

"And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses." Mark 11:25

The Bible is full of references that pertain to doing unto others as we would have them do unto us. We make mistakes. We want others to forgive us our mistakes. We want God to forgive our mistakes. Therefore we must forgive also.

Truly forgiveness seems a more logical conclusion when you are on the trespassing side of the issue than when you are begin trespassed against. We may crave forgiveness, but sometimes it is not in someone's heart to be able to do so, whether the Bible says so or not.

Here is the really difficult part for me. If someone continues to sin against you, you are to continue to forgive them.

"And if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, 'I repent,' you must forgive him." Luke 17:4

So, not only do you forgive someone; you continue to do so if they continue to sin against you. I wouldn't recommend you keep doing things to people just because they should forgive you though. I have been wronged and I have wronged. I try not to do things intentionally. When I hurt someone unintentionally, I try to learn from it and not repeat it. Sometimes we wrong people without realizing what we are doing. Sometimes we feel wronged when the other person meant no harm.

If we take care to avoid being offended easily, then forgiveness isn't necessary as much because we don't have anything to forgive. These are concepts I am working on and growing in because I take offense easily at times and usually I have no reason to do so. I let my preconceived notions kick in and take over instead of being objective.

If nothing else, this gives me a chance to practice my forgiveness, even when I am falsely offended and feel the need to forgive.

"The forgiving state of mind is a magnetic power for attracting good." Catherine Ponder

Resources

Day 15 - Truthfulness & Trust: The Importance of Being Honest

Think Exist - Catherine Ponder Quote

Open Bible - Forgiveness Scripture