I really liked this chapter, even though it kind of made me uncomfrotable. I think that forgiveness is one of the hardest things to practice, and yet God calls us to do it a hundred times a day, over and over again, because He forgives us.
I like the part on the top of page 74 where Linda is talking about betrayal and she says "I've been there. You've been there. And so has the Lord Jesus." If anyone has the right to hold a grudge, its Jesus! He was betrayed so many times, and being fully human, felt the pain of it each time. Of course I don't like that Jesus felt such heartache, but I take comfrot in this fact. I know that Jesus has been there and He knows how I feel and He still forgives. He is so many things to me, two of them being a mentor and a role model. Jesus was so strong and was such a leader. I can never reach His greatness, but I certainly want to strive to be Godly and Jesus-y :)
I think it can be hard to forgive someone who hurt you, and even harder to forgive the same person over and over again for the same thing. I believe that God wants us to continue to forgive this person, but I don't think God wants us to be used and abused either.
I think of Matthew 10:11-17 when Jesus sends out his disciples. He says to knock on doors and give a greeting and preach the word to anyone who will listen, but if someone doesn't welcome you, shake the dust off and keep moving. I think that if people reject us or hurt us, we are not to condemn them, but to forgive them and move on, keeping our grace, peace, and dignity. Jesus doesn't advise his disciples to continue knocking and get into an argument or burn down their house and scorn them. He says to just walk on. Don't judge, just walk away.
Overall, God calls us to be forgiving people. He doens't want us to be numb to hurt; he knows how deep it cuts us. But the only way He can heal this hurt is for us to forgive and allow Him to enter our hearts. Praise God for his healing power and help us to be forgiving women.
What is interesting to me is that the sermon this morning at church was very similar to this chapter. I have dealt with a lot of pain from my parents and one of my brothers and I have definitely struggled with forgiveness. The sermon at church and this chapter have forced me to re-evaluate some unforgiveness in my life. Question #4 on p. 223 lists some points on unforgiveness... out of the 7, I can say that I have definitely been guilty of 6.
I really love the healing that comes from Colossians 3:12-15(NLT), Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful."
A wise woman in my life told me that she prays prayers of blessing on people who have hurt her. I like the step further that author Linda takes it... "seek to do acts of love and kindness." This makes forgiveness a lot harder but in the end brings peace of heart.
I love the prayer on p. 225: "God, you know how (name) has hurt me by (state the offense). In the name of Jesus, who has forgiven me everything, I now chose to forgive (name). I lay (name) at Your feet and all the pain I've experienced because of what's happened. I ask now for You to begin Your healing work in my heart and in my relationship with (name)."
I found it interesting that this chapter was about relationships, but solely concentrated on forgiveness. It is certainly true that without forgiveness our hearts can turn bitter. I liked what Linda said about choosing to forgive and then keep forgiving, especially because the same hurts can continue to resurface sometimes. Without God it would be impossible to keep forgiving someone over and over. I also liked that Linda says that we should choose to love and honor the person we choose to forgive, which can be extremely difficult but is exactly what God wants us to do!
I really liked this chapter, even though it kind of made me uncomfrotable. I think that forgiveness is one of the hardest things to practice, and yet God calls us to do it a hundred times a day, over and over again, because He forgives us.
ReplyDeleteI like the part on the top of page 74 where Linda is talking about betrayal and she says "I've been there. You've been there. And so has the Lord Jesus." If anyone has the right to hold a grudge, its Jesus! He was betrayed so many times, and being fully human, felt the pain of it each time. Of course I don't like that Jesus felt such heartache, but I take comfrot in this fact. I know that Jesus has been there and He knows how I feel and He still forgives. He is so many things to me, two of them being a mentor and a role model. Jesus was so strong and was such a leader. I can never reach His greatness, but I certainly want to strive to be Godly and Jesus-y :)
I think it can be hard to forgive someone who hurt you, and even harder to forgive the same person over and over again for the same thing. I believe that God wants us to continue to forgive this person, but I don't think God wants us to be used and abused either.
I think of Matthew 10:11-17 when Jesus sends out his disciples. He says to knock on doors and give a greeting and preach the word to anyone who will listen, but if someone doesn't welcome you, shake the dust off and keep moving. I think that if people reject us or hurt us, we are not to condemn them, but to forgive them and move on, keeping our grace, peace, and dignity. Jesus doesn't advise his disciples to continue knocking and get into an argument or burn down their house and scorn them. He says to just walk on. Don't judge, just walk away.
Overall, God calls us to be forgiving people. He doens't want us to be numb to hurt; he knows how deep it cuts us. But the only way He can heal this hurt is for us to forgive and allow Him to enter our hearts. Praise God for his healing power and help us to be forgiving women.
What is interesting to me is that the sermon this morning at church was very similar to this chapter. I have dealt with a lot of pain from my parents and one of my brothers and I have definitely struggled with forgiveness. The sermon at church and this chapter have forced me to re-evaluate some unforgiveness in my life. Question #4 on p. 223 lists some points on unforgiveness... out of the 7, I can say that I have definitely been guilty of 6.
ReplyDeleteI really love the healing that comes from Colossians 3:12-15(NLT), Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful."
A wise woman in my life told me that she prays prayers of blessing on people who have hurt her. I like the step further that author Linda takes it... "seek to do acts of love and kindness." This makes forgiveness a lot harder but in the end brings peace of heart.
I love the prayer on p. 225: "God, you know how (name) has hurt me by (state the offense). In the name of Jesus, who has forgiven me everything, I now chose to forgive (name). I lay (name) at Your feet and all the pain I've experienced because of what's happened. I ask now for You to begin Your healing work in my heart and in my relationship with (name)."
I found it interesting that this chapter was about relationships, but solely concentrated on forgiveness. It is certainly true that without forgiveness our hearts can turn bitter. I liked what Linda said about choosing to forgive and then keep forgiving, especially because the same hurts can continue to resurface sometimes. Without God it would be impossible to keep forgiving someone over and over. I also liked that Linda says that we should choose to love and honor the person we choose to forgive, which can be extremely difficult but is exactly what God wants us to do!
ReplyDelete