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| Forgiveness |
In Matthew 18: 21-22, he asks how many times he should forgive his brother who has sinned against him and suggests 7 times. The answer is to forgive the sinner seventy times seven. That is 490 times in the event you are mathematically challenged. By then you are most likely to have forgotten the initial transgression against you, so maybe Jesus was the first therapist ala Dr. Phil.
Forgive - easier said than done. How does one quiet the anger and hurt that must precede forgiveness? Some say that faith is a prerequisite to forgiveness. Corrie Ten Boom, a Christian woman who survived a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust, said, "Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you."
In order to hold a grudge one must pass judgement on the person who has wronged you. But Luke 6:37 says, "Judge not that ye be not judged."
A Mayo Clinic staff member defines forgiveness as a decision to let go feelings of resentment and thoughts of revenge. Dr. K. Piderman of the Mayo Clinic responds to whether forgivness includes forgetting, "Forgiving isn't the same as forgetting what happened to you. The act that hurt or offended you may always remain a part of your life. But forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life. Forgiveness also doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act."
Holding on to grudges and bitterness can result in long term health problems. Forgiveness, on the other hand, can result in a more enjoyable, fulfilled life. Amen.
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Posted by Amen on 2009-10-30 14:56:58 | Rating: | Views: 63
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