Friday, November 20, 2009

A Beautiful Story

When I am confronted with a subject that seems to make its appearance time & time again, I think that I need to write a small word about it.
That subject has to do with forgiveness.
I heard a quote from someone giving an interview on the radio.
Forgiveness is, "carrying the burden that someone has wrongly given you without holding them responsible"
A beautiful story begins by choosing to live a life of sacrifice or living a life of pettiness. Another quote from the interview.
Once a wrong has been done perhaps even repeated to create a pattern we seem to think that it is a righteous thing to hang on to it and let it play over and over again in our mind.
Instead of handing it off we make the decision to become "petty people".
Does one not think to consider what kind of effect this will have on our life?
Let's consider this from another angle.
Would we not give careful consideration to the bondage, the strangled grip that "unforgiving" plays in our life?
Where does that beautiful story fit in?
We let so much of what happens to us outwardly shape our thoughts and opinions of others so that instead of being free to love, we mold those supposed hurts around us creating a shield around our hearts confirming that we are more willing to live in a fortress of what we call "protection" rather than realizing the opportunities to live out this beautiful story.
Believe me when I say I know.
And, it is not easy letting go of the supposed hurts.
But in the end it does come down to a choice doesn't it?
To make my point more dramatic I can say that it is a life or death decision.
Forgiveness sets us free.
Unforgiving, is like a choke hold.
I think that when we are unwilling to forgive and let go, we lose so much of this life, our lives. Instead we limit ourselves and what we have to offer to this world, to others.
An unforgiving attitude is a selfish attitude.
What it really states is that I would rather dwell in my little world of hurt instead of being freed up to offer what God has placed in my life to share with others.
"Forgiveness is the divine miracle of grace. The cost to God was the Cross of Christ. The thing that awakens the deepest fountain of gratitude in a human being is that God has forgiven his sin."-Oswald Chambers
In the back of my mind is a gentle reminder.
"Now, go and do likewise."

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