M
mexolic
Guest
Forgiveness. If forgiveness was so easy, why then does Jesus tell us again and again to forgive others? It seems that Jesus tells us to do things that we either don’t want to do or find it hard to do.
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Trishie
Guest
Forgiveness is sometimes difficult for many reasons, for instance, as you mentioned in your poll, sometimes others don’t repent of harm done to us
In some instances, we have to forgive ourselves and/or others many times during our lives, especially if our sins or poor choices have lasting consequences.
Grappling with the issue at one time myself I wrote the following as that’s a way that worked for me in trying to deal with forgiveness in answer to Jesus’ command. I’ll just past as that’s the easiest way for me to respond.
Forgiveness
Dear God, You do not merely suggest that we love and forgive each other. You command it. Yet sometimes it is difficult to love, and forgiveness seems almost a betrayal of self or loved ones where offense is terrible. I ask grace to pray for anyone who hurts loved ones or me through misunderstanding, frailty, or malice. I ask grace not to judge anyone for real or imagined injustice or injury.
You know all judgments that I have made in my life since infancy, even those so habitual that I hardly notice. They may contribute to unloving or mistrustful attitude, and thus prevent me from living a life of love, grace and joy.
Every time anyone hurts or angers me, let Your grace remind me to acknowledge my real feelings. The matter may be trivial, but if ignored, my feelings may fester into resentment.
Grant me forgiveness that rejects negative feelings and leads to compassion and reconciliation. Heal my lack of love for myself, for any other, and for You. Let me view my flaws and others’ with humility and patience.
God, I forgive and bless anyone who hurts or neglects my loved ones or me. Restore and bless anyone I have offended or neglected. Give them grace to accept my repentance. Procure reconciliation where I am afraid to risk the other’s bitterness or rejection.
Holy Spirit please go to each person I have ever hurt, flooding him or her with God’s abundant gifts of love and healing. Allow us to experience Your love, and help us to accept Your will, Your timing and Your ways. I trust all relationships and situations into Your love. 2001
When we cannot forgive
Heavenly Father help us to recover where injury goes beyond ordinary forgiveness and our hearts are in some way crushed, and our lives changed and devalued. Help us to find a way to forgive when we cannot smile or encounter the offending person with warmth because they have destroyed something in us, or in those whom we love…
Father please help us to forgive when it seems we cannot forgive…because they do not understand how badly they have hurt us, and do not seek in any real way to acknowledge or try to heal the hurt they imposed on us. And even when we tried to tell them from the bottom of our heart but they would not listen, please help us to forgive.
Father help us to forgive when those who hurt our lives do not even remember how badly they have wounded us, and go on with their lives without concern, while we remain still held in some kind of time capsule with the consequences of their unfeeling and uncaring and attack.
Father, help us to forgive when those who wounded us by ignoring our needs and requests, yet who desire us to ignore their offense, and expect us to respond to their hints or manipulations while they make no concessions or apologies.
Help us to forgive those who impose their own conditions and rules upon us, without respecting that our hurt is real and radical, while they make us feel that they only desire our capitulation without justice, apology, or generosity from them.
Please help us to forgive those who have hurt us physically, or emotionally, or mentally, and above all, spiritually, by action or by neglect.
Father please free us, free me, in forgiveness that comes from Your Son, innocent, and murdered, but forgiving
Blessing and forgiveness
I forgive you, anyone who ever hurts or judges me.
Whether or not you have sinned against me by malice of by mistake, I ask God’s help to forgive you, as Jesus demands in order that I too may be forgiven my sins, I must forgive, even if I must wisely avoid you.
Will you forgive me? Will you forgive my faults that annoy you? Will you forgive what I am or what you judge me to be? Will you forgive my kindly meant mistakes? Will you forgive where I hurt you in my honest desire to serve God?
In spirit, I kneel to ask forgiveness for good intentions gone awry. Perhaps you will not forgive or perhaps you will never inform me if you do forgive, yet I mean only kindness to others and to you. If I lose your friendship, I still love and pray for you and those with you.
Some day, through God’s mercy I will enter heaven and will never again make sincere choices or honest mistakes that cause others hurt, nor will others again wound me. I take comfort that those who cannot forgive or understand my motives must do so then. Until then your judgements of me — as the person, you deem me or the wrong you believe of me—remain until God who loves us can speak some kindness and perhaps even some truth in your heart for me.
“I bless you. I bless your thoughts and feelings. I bless your family, I bless your ventures, and I bless your life.” The power of those words is God’s not mine. I only bless you in God’s name, for He loves you profoundly.
I forgive you, where there are things to forgive even if you never acknowledge them and or do not value me even enough to see them. How can I blame you? I place you in God’s care and ask His threefold blessing for you.
In some instances, we have to forgive ourselves and/or others many times during our lives, especially if our sins or poor choices have lasting consequences.
Grappling with the issue at one time myself I wrote the following as that’s a way that worked for me in trying to deal with forgiveness in answer to Jesus’ command. I’ll just past as that’s the easiest way for me to respond.
Forgiveness
Dear God, You do not merely suggest that we love and forgive each other. You command it. Yet sometimes it is difficult to love, and forgiveness seems almost a betrayal of self or loved ones where offense is terrible. I ask grace to pray for anyone who hurts loved ones or me through misunderstanding, frailty, or malice. I ask grace not to judge anyone for real or imagined injustice or injury.
You know all judgments that I have made in my life since infancy, even those so habitual that I hardly notice. They may contribute to unloving or mistrustful attitude, and thus prevent me from living a life of love, grace and joy.
Every time anyone hurts or angers me, let Your grace remind me to acknowledge my real feelings. The matter may be trivial, but if ignored, my feelings may fester into resentment.
Grant me forgiveness that rejects negative feelings and leads to compassion and reconciliation. Heal my lack of love for myself, for any other, and for You. Let me view my flaws and others’ with humility and patience.
God, I forgive and bless anyone who hurts or neglects my loved ones or me. Restore and bless anyone I have offended or neglected. Give them grace to accept my repentance. Procure reconciliation where I am afraid to risk the other’s bitterness or rejection.
Holy Spirit please go to each person I have ever hurt, flooding him or her with God’s abundant gifts of love and healing. Allow us to experience Your love, and help us to accept Your will, Your timing and Your ways. I trust all relationships and situations into Your love. 2001
When we cannot forgive
Heavenly Father help us to recover where injury goes beyond ordinary forgiveness and our hearts are in some way crushed, and our lives changed and devalued. Help us to find a way to forgive when we cannot smile or encounter the offending person with warmth because they have destroyed something in us, or in those whom we love…
Father please help us to forgive when it seems we cannot forgive…because they do not understand how badly they have hurt us, and do not seek in any real way to acknowledge or try to heal the hurt they imposed on us. And even when we tried to tell them from the bottom of our heart but they would not listen, please help us to forgive.
Father help us to forgive when those who hurt our lives do not even remember how badly they have wounded us, and go on with their lives without concern, while we remain still held in some kind of time capsule with the consequences of their unfeeling and uncaring and attack.
Father, help us to forgive when those who wounded us by ignoring our needs and requests, yet who desire us to ignore their offense, and expect us to respond to their hints or manipulations while they make no concessions or apologies.
Help us to forgive those who impose their own conditions and rules upon us, without respecting that our hurt is real and radical, while they make us feel that they only desire our capitulation without justice, apology, or generosity from them.
Please help us to forgive those who have hurt us physically, or emotionally, or mentally, and above all, spiritually, by action or by neglect.
Father please free us, free me, in forgiveness that comes from Your Son, innocent, and murdered, but forgiving
Blessing and forgiveness
I forgive you, anyone who ever hurts or judges me.
Whether or not you have sinned against me by malice of by mistake, I ask God’s help to forgive you, as Jesus demands in order that I too may be forgiven my sins, I must forgive, even if I must wisely avoid you.
Will you forgive me? Will you forgive my faults that annoy you? Will you forgive what I am or what you judge me to be? Will you forgive my kindly meant mistakes? Will you forgive where I hurt you in my honest desire to serve God?
In spirit, I kneel to ask forgiveness for good intentions gone awry. Perhaps you will not forgive or perhaps you will never inform me if you do forgive, yet I mean only kindness to others and to you. If I lose your friendship, I still love and pray for you and those with you.
Some day, through God’s mercy I will enter heaven and will never again make sincere choices or honest mistakes that cause others hurt, nor will others again wound me. I take comfort that those who cannot forgive or understand my motives must do so then. Until then your judgements of me — as the person, you deem me or the wrong you believe of me—remain until God who loves us can speak some kindness and perhaps even some truth in your heart for me.
“I bless you. I bless your thoughts and feelings. I bless your family, I bless your ventures, and I bless your life.” The power of those words is God’s not mine. I only bless you in God’s name, for He loves you profoundly.
I forgive you, where there are things to forgive even if you never acknowledge them and or do not value me even enough to see them. How can I blame you? I place you in God’s care and ask His threefold blessing for you.
T
Trishie
Guest
Beloved Lord…for some, forgiveness is for p(name removed by moderator)ricks of irritation, inconvenience, little oppositions to their will or their pride or their sense of fairness, or disturb the comfort in their daily lives…please help them to forgive with love’
Lord, some have an occasional sadness, loss injury, that needs redress, and requires forgiveness…help them also choose to forgive and where possible, to reconcile.
Lord! For some, it is great slashing wounds inflicted cruelly upon their bodies, their minds, their souls, injustices and abuse that is merciless, and ongoing, ripping at their human dignity as loved child of God…
Lord, their hearts cry out in anguish for escape, for healing, for love.
Hear them O Lord!
Hold them gently in Your heart and in the understanding and kindness of others.
Help them to forgive as they bravely struggle to recover and live wholesome lives in Your Spirit.
Peter’s regret
Jesus, I know the regret of one who fails to serve the need in another person, perhaps even in one’s most-loved.
I have experienced the remorse of those who wound another, however unintentionally. Afterwards, there may seem no redress? The damage perhaps seems irreversible. The other’s heart or mind may seem unapproachable due to their nature or attitudes; or one simply lacks courage to risk the other’s anger or reproach?
When we bless others, we bless You, and when we wound them, we wound You… Thus, in Your weakest moment I left You desolate. In Your greatest need, I abandoned You—although in my confusion and loss I feel that You deserted me. Nothing can expunge your hurt then, in that time. I ask forgiveness, and You forgive.
Yet the moment cannot return and you are gone. Not gone, but changed…beyond my touch and understanding?
The scars remain, burned in Your feet and hands, and in my heart. Yet You loved and chose, and gave Your life for me—although my weakness, fear, and sin betrayed and denied You. Now, in recompense made fit by Your pure sacrifice—again and again I shall serve and pray for each brother in his weakness and need, as You have done for me. Thus may I watch with my Lord, sharing a-hundredfold what once I denied You.
The above prayers are more or less how I view forgiveness.
And regarding God and forgiveness, the below:
Contrition
Father God, I have sinned against others, against myself, and against You. I am unworthy to be Your child. I have offended Your goodness and Your dream of who I really am.
I may have denied You the joy of blessings that You wish for me and for others through me. You alone know the entire consequences of my failure.
Yet Jesus assures us that You joyfully celebrate my return from sin, and run to welcome and reclaim me as Your own. [Prodigal Son]
In trust, I will not accuse myself for sins already forgiven and absolved or for temptation if I have not actually sinned. Help me to value myself as Your child, knowing that all worth and holiness comes from You.
Look on those tasks of love and service that I failed to undertake or to complete, and bring them to completion. Please bring out of my past failures, such fruits of these new opportunities enhanced beyond all previous expectation, for from our human betrayal of Your divine plan of Creation, Your mercy wrought the magnificent plan of redemption that reverberates through time and eternity!
In Your mercy, please transform into good all that in weakness or ignorance I may spoil. Please give blessing that is abundant beyond original possibility, to anyone I ever harm or deprived. May I so belong to You, may I be so transformed by Your love, that nothing in my life impedes Your will.
This, my soul in trusting confidence implores.
In failure
Jesus, I put my trust in the apparent failure of the Cross, for You are condemned to a criminal’s execution and it seems that Your mission has failed, You who alone could redeem humanity. Yet You are triumphant over sin and death!
Who can accept that it is God-incarnate whose sweat and blood drips into the dust, from Your drained, dishonored body! Yet Your human cry of abandonment by the Father is belied by the triumph of love and faith in Your final confident submission. You die, but You have not betrayed the Father’s trust.
Jesus, to my sadness, I fail in many ways and sin against others by my failures. Have I betrayed Your will or mistaken Your purpose? Will You restore me to grace now, Jesus? To do what? Will You show me?
Will You fuse together the broken pieces—of my life, of my service—to make a new and better creation?
Am I to step around the fragments and to pass another way?
I ask to walk with certainty along the humble path of holiness that You choose uniquely for me. If not, then please allow me the certainty of buoyant faith. I ask courage to continue through the enveloping fog, trusting each small moment to the illumination of faith and grace.
Jesus out of seeming failure, You rose in glory. Out of my failures loss, and sorrow, please bring healing and goodness luminescent as priceless pearls grown around grains of suffering, for Your glory, and for mine and others’ remedy and blessing.
Lord, some have an occasional sadness, loss injury, that needs redress, and requires forgiveness…help them also choose to forgive and where possible, to reconcile.
Lord! For some, it is great slashing wounds inflicted cruelly upon their bodies, their minds, their souls, injustices and abuse that is merciless, and ongoing, ripping at their human dignity as loved child of God…
Lord, their hearts cry out in anguish for escape, for healing, for love.
Hear them O Lord!
Hold them gently in Your heart and in the understanding and kindness of others.
Help them to forgive as they bravely struggle to recover and live wholesome lives in Your Spirit.
Peter’s regret
Jesus, I know the regret of one who fails to serve the need in another person, perhaps even in one’s most-loved.
I have experienced the remorse of those who wound another, however unintentionally. Afterwards, there may seem no redress? The damage perhaps seems irreversible. The other’s heart or mind may seem unapproachable due to their nature or attitudes; or one simply lacks courage to risk the other’s anger or reproach?
When we bless others, we bless You, and when we wound them, we wound You… Thus, in Your weakest moment I left You desolate. In Your greatest need, I abandoned You—although in my confusion and loss I feel that You deserted me. Nothing can expunge your hurt then, in that time. I ask forgiveness, and You forgive.
Yet the moment cannot return and you are gone. Not gone, but changed…beyond my touch and understanding?
The scars remain, burned in Your feet and hands, and in my heart. Yet You loved and chose, and gave Your life for me—although my weakness, fear, and sin betrayed and denied You. Now, in recompense made fit by Your pure sacrifice—again and again I shall serve and pray for each brother in his weakness and need, as You have done for me. Thus may I watch with my Lord, sharing a-hundredfold what once I denied You.
The above prayers are more or less how I view forgiveness.
And regarding God and forgiveness, the below:
Contrition
Father God, I have sinned against others, against myself, and against You. I am unworthy to be Your child. I have offended Your goodness and Your dream of who I really am.
I may have denied You the joy of blessings that You wish for me and for others through me. You alone know the entire consequences of my failure.
Yet Jesus assures us that You joyfully celebrate my return from sin, and run to welcome and reclaim me as Your own. [Prodigal Son]
In trust, I will not accuse myself for sins already forgiven and absolved or for temptation if I have not actually sinned. Help me to value myself as Your child, knowing that all worth and holiness comes from You.
Look on those tasks of love and service that I failed to undertake or to complete, and bring them to completion. Please bring out of my past failures, such fruits of these new opportunities enhanced beyond all previous expectation, for from our human betrayal of Your divine plan of Creation, Your mercy wrought the magnificent plan of redemption that reverberates through time and eternity!
In Your mercy, please transform into good all that in weakness or ignorance I may spoil. Please give blessing that is abundant beyond original possibility, to anyone I ever harm or deprived. May I so belong to You, may I be so transformed by Your love, that nothing in my life impedes Your will.
This, my soul in trusting confidence implores.
In failure
Jesus, I put my trust in the apparent failure of the Cross, for You are condemned to a criminal’s execution and it seems that Your mission has failed, You who alone could redeem humanity. Yet You are triumphant over sin and death!
Who can accept that it is God-incarnate whose sweat and blood drips into the dust, from Your drained, dishonored body! Yet Your human cry of abandonment by the Father is belied by the triumph of love and faith in Your final confident submission. You die, but You have not betrayed the Father’s trust.
Jesus, to my sadness, I fail in many ways and sin against others by my failures. Have I betrayed Your will or mistaken Your purpose? Will You restore me to grace now, Jesus? To do what? Will You show me?
Will You fuse together the broken pieces—of my life, of my service—to make a new and better creation?
Am I to step around the fragments and to pass another way?
I ask to walk with certainty along the humble path of holiness that You choose uniquely for me. If not, then please allow me the certainty of buoyant faith. I ask courage to continue through the enveloping fog, trusting each small moment to the illumination of faith and grace.
Jesus out of seeming failure, You rose in glory. Out of my failures loss, and sorrow, please bring healing and goodness luminescent as priceless pearls grown around grains of suffering, for Your glory, and for mine and others’ remedy and blessing.
J
josh987654321
Guest
I hope you don’t mind if I share with you what I have learnt about forgiveness (and still learning about the enourmous riches to be found there).
I believe a wise man once said *“Hating someone is like drinking a poison and expecting the other person to die.” *and I believe here is why -
I believe that If you feel hatred, anger or resentment, than you own those feelings; and that is why there only is one thing worse than being hurt by someone and that is keeping that hurt alive. You have the ability to forgive those people who have mistreated you, not as a gift to them, but as a gift to yourself.
I believe forgiveness will set you free from the pain others have caused you in your life. forgiveness will free you from the hatred anger or resentment that you choose to carry and I emphasise choose because I believe it is a choice to carry those feelings, something which I believe is unhealthy, as I believe those feelings change who you are. Your hatred, anger, and resentment are absolutely incompatible with your peace, joy, and relaxation.
I believe to assume that you can turn your feelings of hate, anger or resentment on and off like a light switch is naïve, these feelings of bitterness and anger are such powerful influences that once they enter your heart, they are present in all of your relationships. They truly do make you become a different person. Who you were goes away, and now you are defined by the hatred and bitterness. Ultimately, I believe what makes these emotions so powerful is that they change who you are.
I believe There is something else you must consider: you cannot give away what you do not have.
You cannot give pure and accepting love from a pure and accepting heart if you have neither. That would mean giving away what you do not have. If the love in your heart is contaminated, if growing within it is the cancer of hatred, anger, and resentment, then that is the only love that you have to give.
If your heart has turned cold and hard because of hatred, anger, and resentment, then that is the heart from which all your emotions spring. That is the love and that is the heart that you have to offer your loved ones and fellow human beings. Hatred, anger, and resentment truly change who you are. They truly prevent you from being able to give to those you love that which you want them to have.
Many people say: “I can’t forgive because they aren’t sorry and they don’t deserve or even want my forgiveness.” If that’s the standard, there are many people in this world who, clearly, will never be entitled to forgiveness, however you do not realise that forgiveness is all about you, it’s all about the gift of freeing yourself from the hatred, anger or resentment.
It’s about you saying *"I will not bond with you through hatred, anger, or resentment. I will not bond with you through fear. I will not allow you to drag me into your dark world. By forgiving you, I am releasing me, not you. You must live with yourself every day. You must live with the darkness in your heart. But I do not, and I will not, You are the one who commited the crime, I don’t have to continue to suffer for it and I refuse to, by forgiving you I am releasing myself from that emotional prison you have locked me in, you cannot misstreat me and than continue hurting me through those feelings of hatred, anger or resentment, I make that choice, not you.” *
Take the power back from those who have hurt you, they don’t have the right to hurt you and than continue hurting you through those emotions of hatred, anger or resentment.
The Choice is, and always has been, all yours. The power of forgiveness is the power to set yourself free from the bonds of hatred, anger, and resentment. Seize the power and rise above the pain. You are worth it, and everyone you love deserves it.
Please continue to next post -
J
josh987654321
Guest
Continued from above post -
Treasures in Heaven:
“Do not be conqured by evil, but conquer evil with good.” - Romans 12:21
I believe there is nothing to be gained by harboring emotions of hatred, anger or resentment toward someone … nothing but more pain and heartache on yourself.
Now when you think of the wrong doing, instead of emotions such as hatred, anger or resentment, these will instead be emotions of pity.
Pity means feeling for others, particularly feelings of sadness or sorrow towards someone, this I believe is what replaces those ugly emotions of hatred, anger and resentment towards someone, this is what forgiveness does, I believe you cannot become indifferent about such mistreatment, but you can remove those ugly emotions through forgiveness, forgiveness replaces those ugly emotions with pity, because I believe it doesn’t take much guess work to realise that those who have mistreated you are usually locked in their own emotional prison of hatred, anger and resentment themselves. Thus I believe it’s the old story of the hatred being passed on until the line is severed through forgiveness.
I would also like to say that I believe forgiveness doesn’t mean being naive or putting yourself in vulnerable situations, as it says in the gospels “don’t give to dogs what belongs to God as they will only turn and attack you.” Matthew 7:6 and *“I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their meeting places.” *Matthew 10:16-17
I believe you don’t judge people to be good or bad, you instead gather information about a person and make an informed decision - Dr Phil
I would also like to share with you a list of quotes on forgiveness that I believe are very good.
*“Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.” *- Ben Franklin
*“Do not commit the crime for which you now serve the sentence, God said, vengeance is mine." *
*Forgiveness is a choice. Don’t wait for it to just wash over you all of a sudden. You have to choose it. *- Dr Phil
Don’t give your power away. The pain of what happened is inevitable, but continuing to suffer is optional. The only person you can control is you. By constantly re-living the pain of what happened, you are giving your power away to the person who wronged you. - Dr Phil
Don’t cling to negative feelings. Anger is nothing more than an outward sign of hurt, fear, guilt, grief or frustration. While the pain may never completely disappear, forgiveness can help you release the anger and bring those in your life closer to you. - Dr Phil
There is no right timeline for recovery. For some people, making peace happens suddenly and spontaneously. For others, it takes time and effort. You may have to make a conscious choice every day to forgive. To say, “I’m letting this go. I’m not going to invest hatred, bitterness, anger, resentment in this person anymore.” You can find closure in forgiveness. - Dr Phil
You can’t change the things that happened in your life, but you can decide how you interpret and respond to them. If you didn’t receive support when you needed it, give it to yourself now. - Dr Phil
The stronger the emotions of hatred, anger or resentment, the greater the gifts that you will recieve when you let them go.
I believe there is enourmous power in forgiveness! … ultimately because it is divine. I believe the above only scratches the surface of the enourmous wealth found in a merciful heart. ‘Jesus I Trust In You’ (St Faustina)
I would also like to strongly recommend the Diary of St Faustina when it comes to the topic of forgiveness (thedivinemercy.org/message/).
Jesus to Catalina:
Thank you for reading
Josh
Treasures in Heaven:
Christ told us that our hearts are always where our treasure is. It’s a treasure that does not rust and cannot be stolen! It can only be thrown away, and we choose to throw it away when we harbor those ugly emotions of hatred anger, or resentment toward someone who has mistreated us, take the power back from those who have hurt you! take your treasure back! Forgiveness is a gift! reclaim your heart!Matthew 6:19-21
19 Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. 20 Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them. 21 Your heart will always be where your treasure is.
“Do not be conqured by evil, but conquer evil with good.” - Romans 12:21
I believe there is nothing to be gained by harboring emotions of hatred, anger or resentment toward someone … nothing but more pain and heartache on yourself.
Now when you think of the wrong doing, instead of emotions such as hatred, anger or resentment, these will instead be emotions of pity.
Pity means feeling for others, particularly feelings of sadness or sorrow towards someone, this I believe is what replaces those ugly emotions of hatred, anger and resentment towards someone, this is what forgiveness does, I believe you cannot become indifferent about such mistreatment, but you can remove those ugly emotions through forgiveness, forgiveness replaces those ugly emotions with pity, because I believe it doesn’t take much guess work to realise that those who have mistreated you are usually locked in their own emotional prison of hatred, anger and resentment themselves. Thus I believe it’s the old story of the hatred being passed on until the line is severed through forgiveness.
I would also like to say that I believe forgiveness doesn’t mean being naive or putting yourself in vulnerable situations, as it says in the gospels “don’t give to dogs what belongs to God as they will only turn and attack you.” Matthew 7:6 and *“I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their meeting places.” *Matthew 10:16-17
I believe you don’t judge people to be good or bad, you instead gather information about a person and make an informed decision - Dr Phil
I would also like to share with you a list of quotes on forgiveness that I believe are very good.
*“Whatever is begun in anger ends in shame.” *- Ben Franklin
*“Do not commit the crime for which you now serve the sentence, God said, vengeance is mine." *
*Forgiveness is a choice. Don’t wait for it to just wash over you all of a sudden. You have to choose it. *- Dr Phil
Don’t give your power away. The pain of what happened is inevitable, but continuing to suffer is optional. The only person you can control is you. By constantly re-living the pain of what happened, you are giving your power away to the person who wronged you. - Dr Phil
Don’t cling to negative feelings. Anger is nothing more than an outward sign of hurt, fear, guilt, grief or frustration. While the pain may never completely disappear, forgiveness can help you release the anger and bring those in your life closer to you. - Dr Phil
There is no right timeline for recovery. For some people, making peace happens suddenly and spontaneously. For others, it takes time and effort. You may have to make a conscious choice every day to forgive. To say, “I’m letting this go. I’m not going to invest hatred, bitterness, anger, resentment in this person anymore.” You can find closure in forgiveness. - Dr Phil
You can’t change the things that happened in your life, but you can decide how you interpret and respond to them. If you didn’t receive support when you needed it, give it to yourself now. - Dr Phil
The stronger the emotions of hatred, anger or resentment, the greater the gifts that you will recieve when you let them go.
I believe there is enourmous power in forgiveness! … ultimately because it is divine. I believe the above only scratches the surface of the enourmous wealth found in a merciful heart. ‘Jesus I Trust In You’ (St Faustina)
I would also like to strongly recommend the Diary of St Faustina when it comes to the topic of forgiveness (thedivinemercy.org/message/).
Jesus to Catalina:
God BlessThe Great Crusade of Mercy - loveandmercy.org/Eng-CM-Reg.pdf
11) Mercy is love, My child. It is union with God and union with God is the certitude of victory and an everlasting abundance of virtues. Mercy is the unquestionable proof of love for Me.
Thank you for reading
Josh
M
Mary_Ellen
Guest
Why would Jesus repeat Himself if it ***were ***easy? He wouldn’t waste His time on something easy. He repeats Himself precisely because it is hard to forgive - we need to hear it over and over again to get the message:Forgiveness. If forgiveness was so easy, why then does Jesus tell us again and again to forgive others? It seems that Jesus tells us to do things that we either don’t want to do or find it hard to do.
Forgive 70 times 7 times see Mt 18:21-22
Forgive us our sins/debts as we forgive our debtors Mt 6:12; Lk 11:4
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Mt 6:14-15
And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. " Mark 11:25
So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart Mt 18:35
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any one; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses Mk 11:25
Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;… Lk 6:37
And of course, do any of us think it was easy for Jesus to forgive? And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments… Luke 23:24 He practiced what He preached.
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