The Forgiveness Question: Part 2

As I tried to decide on how to follow up on my last post's topic (forgiveness) I realized that I don't really know that much. I haven't had to forgive any great evil against me. And so perhaps I'm a bit . . . under-experienced? So instead I will just type out a few thoughts and then submit wisdom that is greater then my own in some well known quotes on the subject.

My thoughts: Although occasionally one finds that it is effortless to forgive a great wrong, most of the time it is actually quite difficult. Thus, forgiveness is a decision. As mentioned by others, it is also a process, one that is rarely instantaneous. Like an addict who "slips" several times before gaining mastery over their addiction, the first decision to forgive is usually not the final one. Lastly, for the Christ-follower, the decision to forgive is not an option - it's a command. As much as we try to justify holding off on doing it we are only fooling ourselves. How can we accept the forgiveness and grace of Christ for all our terrible faults yet withhold the same from others? It's not possible. To be Christian is to forgive. I realize this may sound harsh to someone who is thinking "Do you know what has happened to me? How dare you tell me to forgive after the betrayal I have lived through?" I am not saying that it is easy, only that for your sake and to be in line with God's will for us we must do this near-impossible thing. Forgiveness is not something we do because it is deserved, we do it because it is the only real way to live.

A few quotes to inspire you:

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
- Lewis B. Smedes

“There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love.”
- Bryant H. McGill

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.”
- Mahatma Gandhi

“The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget.”
- Thomas S. Szasz

“You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.”
- Lewis B. Smedes

“When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.”
- Alan Paton

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.”
- Mark Twain

“We achieve inner health only through forgiveness - the forgiveness not only of others but also of ourselves”
- Joshua Loth Liebman

“He who is devoid of the power to forgive, is devoid of the power to love.”
- Martin Luther King

“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.”
- Paul Boese

May Light increase!

P.S. The image is Rembrandt's "The Prodigal" which is a beautiful picture of forgiveness (the father) as well as a chilling reminder of bitterness and unforgiveness (the brother).