Forgiveness

 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye—Colossians 3:11

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What is true love if not to forgive the one who you feel has done you great harm? What is a true manifestation of the Lord’s Spirit if not to love your enemies, to do good to them that do you harm, to turn the other cheek? This is love. This is mercy. This is humility. This is Jesus. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for another—even your brother or sister who has harmed you.

By reaching up for the grace to forgive him or her, you’re reaching up to the Lord, and He’ll make you a better person because of it. It is a great thing when you, through God’s grace, become a person who has forgiven another, who has passed over that hump and stumbling block, and whose heart has been enlarged to take being wronged and yet to forgive.

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For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.—Matthew 6:14–15

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It is impossible to go as high as you’re capable of going if you’re carrying the burden of hate, revenge, and bitterness. Those are heavy loads to carry, and the chances of you realizing your full potential are non-existent with those three burdens on your back.

And even if you were successful in your profession, how happy would you be as an individual? How many friends have you seen an angry or bitter person acquire? How many of them have good relationships with their families and are optimistic, upbeat and enthusiastic about the future?

Forgiveness is the key, and if you’re incapable of forgiving on your own—and many people are—I encourage you to seek counselling to guide you through the maze so that you can finally reach the point where you can forgive.

The day you do is the day you become a happier, healthier, more secure person.—Zig Ziglar

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Somebody hurt you, maybe yesterday, maybe a lifetime ago, and you cannot forget it. The hurt went deep, and it keeps on hurting you now.

You are not alone. We all muddle our way through a world where even well-meaning people hurt each other. When we invest ourselves in deep personal relationships, we often open ourselves to hurt.

Forgiveness is God’s invention for coming to terms with a world in which, despite their best intentions, people are unfair to each other and hurt each other deeply. He began by forgiving us. And He invites us all to forgive each other.—Lewis B. Smedes

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You never so touch the ocean of God’s love as when you forgive and love your enemies.—Corrie tenBoom