It used to baffle me at school when girls had an argument they would fall out and end up never talking to that other person for the rest of the year or never again.
This seems to happen even into their adaulthood. I've seen many ladies fall out and now ignore one another and wonder if they'll ever find away of setteling their differences.
Ive seen fights on the rugby field where 15 v 25 men browl and fists are thrown and blood is drawn. Then after the game they have all shook hands and chatted over a pint in the club house.
''FORGIVENESS''. It one of the things that I struggle with when it comes to living a christian life and when it comes to forgiving someone it always seems to mean I want them to do something first. Its the school day quote all over again ''why should I say sorry, he started it'' or ''Im not going to forgive them until they sort it out''. Yep Forgiveness sure is hard.
I went to see Les Miserables last week and the main story line was Jon Valjean being chased throughout the film by Inspector Javert because he Jumped perol. Close to the end of the film Veljean get a chance to kill Javert but instead lets him go saying I know youve hunted me down everywhere I go but you where only doing you duty to God.
Now Valjean it would seem was put in prison for stealing some bread to feed his family, but put inside for 20 years so hardly a criminal. Infact he was a good man who cared for people and used his wealth to in a Godly way. He could have shot Javert and live a free man,. but instead he forgave him even though it meant going back to prison.
Forgiveness sometimes takes courage. it sometimes means swallowing your pride or could even mean letting others down. I struggle with forgivness and if you look to the bible for help the is so many references to it even in the Lords Prayer it says ''Forgive us, as we forgive them''.
God the Father forgives. What ever we do or say he forgives us. So we should forgive others. No one said it was simple.
Read Matthew 18 : 22 - 25
22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[a]
23 “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold[b]was brought to him. 25 Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
26 “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ 27 The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
28 “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins.[c] He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
29 “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
30 “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31 When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
32 “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33 Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ 34 In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
35 “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
No comments:
Post a Comment