I am reading a book called Beauty for Ashes by Joyce Meyer. In the book, the author talks about how she was sexually molested by her biological father from the age of seven up until she was 17. When she told her mother about it at eight years old, her mother chose to believe the father when he denied it, but when the mother came home early one day and walked in on her husband having sex with the daughter at the age of 14, she simply shut the door and walked out.
She turned her back on her daughter and allowed the incest to continue.
I also heard a lady on the Dr. Empowerment Blog Talk Radio Show talk about how she had been gang raped by three men. Both of these victims of horrific crimes chose to forgive their perpetuators. It made me realize that forgiveness is a choice that has nothing at all to do with the one who hurt you, but everything to do with you. When we forgive, we bless ourselves, our physical health and mental well-being. Forgiveness does not mean reconciliation. It does not mean acting as though nothing happened, but it does mean that we choose to give the situation to God without taking it back. We choose to not allow that bad situation to control us, dominate our minds, and/or cause guilt, shame, anger or bitterness. We choose to move on and release.
It is often difficult to forgive people when they have hurt us. It seems easier to just be angry with them. But we must realize that we are not hurting them because eventually, they forgive themselves whether you choose to forgive them or not. They go on and live their lives while we are still angry, causing our unforgiveness to turn to disease in our bodies.
Share your thoughts on forgiveness with our readers.
In an effort to maintain continuous movement in this journey called life, we are constantly faced with the need to forgive. Often times seemingly minor infractions that we encounter daily can impede our efforts to be the best person we can be. While I too believe that forgiveness is much more fruitful than harboring resentment or anger in my everyday walk, it's not an act that comes naturally for me. It takes a conscious effort on my part to be deliberate in my desire to forgive.
ReplyDeleteLawanda, it is not easy to say the least, but it is possible through God. I believe that forgiveness is the foundation upon which Christianity is built. When we look at how our Lord and Savior suffered, was beaten, spit on, lied on, talked about ultimately crucified; and still ask God to "forgive them", it puts things in perspective for us. Who are we not to follow his example? Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteForgiveness is a skill that has to be taught, learned, and reviewed, (sometimes remediated) as the various circumstances of life arise. Although it should be as commonplace as breathing, it isn't. Through reading the Word and seeking understanding on how to apply it to my life, I now know that there is only so far one can go in life without fully surrendering to forgive others and themselves.
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