Isn’t it interesting how the same topic seems to pop up sometimes in our lives? I don’t really know why the topic of forgiveness has been popping up. It’s not like there is someone in my life who I’m holding a grudge against. I would say that there are other things in my life that I need to work on. There have been two items that have come up in my life in the last couple weeks that show how important forgiveness is.
The first one is fiction. It occurred in the book, “The Shack.” It was refereed to me by my spiritual director, Fr. Mike, and it is really amazing how one book can cover so many topics and hit you right in the heart so many ways. Basic story line---Mack is on a camp out with his children when his six year old daughter is kidnapped and murdered. The only remains they found was her bloody dress located in a shack in the mountains. A few years later, he is invited to the shack by God. Mack goes and meets with God. I won’t go into details because you really need to read it for yourself. In one of the encounters God encourages Mack to forgive the man who killed his daughter. Mack is encouraged to just say, “I forgive you.” He’s told that he may have to say this every day or several times a day until he truly does start to forgive.
This forgiving is the first step to being free. Mack is released from the prison that he had been in since his daughter’s death. It’s the first step to lifting the sadness and the anger that had enveloped him for the past several years. It’s the first step to reconnecting with the rest of his family and healing. Again—great read. I’m looking forward to discussing the book with Fr. Mike this week but you can check it out at www.theshackbook.com.
The second situation is real and because so I’m not going to be able to be specific. A friend of mine was telling me about her former marriage and how she maintains a good relationship with her ex-husband because she was able to forgive him. This good relationship is good for their two daughters who instead of seeing mommy and daddy as two people who fight and argue see them as two people who still care for each other. She can only do this because she was strong enough to forgive her ex. I think she is an amazing person because she was able to do this. This serves as an example to be because by allowing herself to forgive she is able to let Christ shine through her.
These are lessons for me to take forward because I’m sure sometime in the future someone will anger me or hurt me. I also think it’s important to remember the Lord’s Prayer when we pray, ‘forgive us our trespasses AS WE FORGIVE those who trespass against us.” If we expect God to be loving and forgiving (which He is) it’s equally important for us to forgive those who harm us.
The first one is fiction. It occurred in the book, “The Shack.” It was refereed to me by my spiritual director, Fr. Mike, and it is really amazing how one book can cover so many topics and hit you right in the heart so many ways. Basic story line---Mack is on a camp out with his children when his six year old daughter is kidnapped and murdered. The only remains they found was her bloody dress located in a shack in the mountains. A few years later, he is invited to the shack by God. Mack goes and meets with God. I won’t go into details because you really need to read it for yourself. In one of the encounters God encourages Mack to forgive the man who killed his daughter. Mack is encouraged to just say, “I forgive you.” He’s told that he may have to say this every day or several times a day until he truly does start to forgive.
This forgiving is the first step to being free. Mack is released from the prison that he had been in since his daughter’s death. It’s the first step to lifting the sadness and the anger that had enveloped him for the past several years. It’s the first step to reconnecting with the rest of his family and healing. Again—great read. I’m looking forward to discussing the book with Fr. Mike this week but you can check it out at www.theshackbook.com.
The second situation is real and because so I’m not going to be able to be specific. A friend of mine was telling me about her former marriage and how she maintains a good relationship with her ex-husband because she was able to forgive him. This good relationship is good for their two daughters who instead of seeing mommy and daddy as two people who fight and argue see them as two people who still care for each other. She can only do this because she was strong enough to forgive her ex. I think she is an amazing person because she was able to do this. This serves as an example to be because by allowing herself to forgive she is able to let Christ shine through her.
These are lessons for me to take forward because I’m sure sometime in the future someone will anger me or hurt me. I also think it’s important to remember the Lord’s Prayer when we pray, ‘forgive us our trespasses AS WE FORGIVE those who trespass against us.” If we expect God to be loving and forgiving (which He is) it’s equally important for us to forgive those who harm us.
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In a sense, resentment arises from unforgivenss, and I've read somewhere that "resentment is like taking poison and waiting for someone else to die". I've found it to be true in my life.
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