N
newcalling
Guest
I am generous with forgiveness, but I could use some help in one area; forgiving those who don’t repent of their actions to me. I hope that this is the right place for this thread.
We are to forgive because God forgives us. We ask God to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” However, God only forgives our sins when we repent. Yet, we are taught to always forgive.
I forgave my mom for years of abuse, but I knew that inside she regretted it; probably even while it was happening. I got that revelation when I woke up after an appendectomy and she was there, happy that I woke up (it was major surgery back then. ) I am usually very quick to forgive if the person repents or if I think that they regret what they did. However, it is nearly impossible for me to forgive someone who screwed me over and is laughing and relishing how they got me.
An example: I was renting a home from a person who turned out to be a shady character. Heis slum lord, aand he reregularly finds ways to screw over his tenants. I am now living in a tiny motel room with my best friend and my cat, and struggling to find a place to live. He really screwed up my life, and he continues to do it to other people. How can I forgive him? I have taken it to prayer repeatedly.
I do pray for his soul and for his family. I do ask God to change his heart so that he doesn’t hurt others in the ways he hurt us. At the same time, inside I wish that God would strike hard at him, and even better if I hear about it.
If God won’t forgive us unless we repent, how are we to forgive the unrepentant? We are certainly nowhere near as forgiving and loving as God is, so how do we do it?
Fwiw, I would quickly forgive the person in my example if, even years later, I found out that he turned his life around, or even offered me a genuine apology.
We are to forgive because God forgives us. We ask God to “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” However, God only forgives our sins when we repent. Yet, we are taught to always forgive.
I forgave my mom for years of abuse, but I knew that inside she regretted it; probably even while it was happening. I got that revelation when I woke up after an appendectomy and she was there, happy that I woke up (it was major surgery back then. ) I am usually very quick to forgive if the person repents or if I think that they regret what they did. However, it is nearly impossible for me to forgive someone who screwed me over and is laughing and relishing how they got me.
An example: I was renting a home from a person who turned out to be a shady character. Heis slum lord, aand he reregularly finds ways to screw over his tenants. I am now living in a tiny motel room with my best friend and my cat, and struggling to find a place to live. He really screwed up my life, and he continues to do it to other people. How can I forgive him? I have taken it to prayer repeatedly.
I do pray for his soul and for his family. I do ask God to change his heart so that he doesn’t hurt others in the ways he hurt us. At the same time, inside I wish that God would strike hard at him, and even better if I hear about it.
If God won’t forgive us unless we repent, how are we to forgive the unrepentant? We are certainly nowhere near as forgiving and loving as God is, so how do we do it?
Fwiw, I would quickly forgive the person in my example if, even years later, I found out that he turned his life around, or even offered me a genuine apology.
