Forgiveness

All is well. All upsets and unkind words have been put behind us. Forgiveness is an interesting thing. How many times do we "forgive" someone, yet still nurse that grudge. You know, "She said 'Blah, blah, blah' in 1995, but I forgave her". Well, if you forgave her, why bring it up....again and again and again! That's not forgiveness! Forgiveness is letting go of past hurts, past anger, past wrongs. It means you don't bring it up again......ever! It also means that you expect a change on the part of the person you have forgiven. If someone was gossiping about you, and word got back to you, and those words hurt you, then talk to the gossiper. Tell them that what they said hurt you. It's easier said than done, but it's the best way to go. Then let them know that they are forgiven, but that you expect that they will not gossip about you any more. It's like when Jesus said "Go, sin no more". He forgave the sin, but He made it clear that he didn't want the sin to be repeated! We have been forgiven by the grace of God and by the sacrifice of Jesus. He died on the cross for our sins, not for anything He did. Before He "Gave up the ghost", Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified Him (that would be all of us). He died a gruesome, painful death and asked for our forgiveness. When you put things into perspective, how much easier is it for us to forgive someone's unkind words or actions? If we expect God to forgive us, we need to be willing to forgive others.