forgiving
When we truly see ourselves as we are, we will recognize that we are just as capable of committing any sin as anyone else.
Forgiveness seems to come so hard for us. We think we are in the right and have great difficulty in seeing the other point of view. Why can't we forgive? R. T. Kendall helps a lot with forgiving in his book Total Forgiveness: When Everything in You Wants to Hold a Grudge, Point a Finger, and Remember the Pain - God Wants You to Lay It All aside. I want to challenge you to consider reading his book.
For the one who totally forgives from the heart, there is little self-righteousness. Two reasons we are able to forgive are:
• We see what we ourselves have been forgiven of.
• We see what we are capable of.
When we are indignant over someone else’s wickedness, there is the real possibility either that we are self-righteous or that we have no objectivity about ourselves. When we truly see ourselves as we are, we will recognize that we are just as capable of committing any sin as anyone else. We are saved only by God’s intervening grace.
I must add one caution: never go to a person you have had to forgive and say, “I forgive you.” This will be counterproductive every time unless it is to a person that you know is yearning for you to forgive them. Otherwise, you will create a stir with which you will not be able to cope. They will say to you, “For what?” It is my experience that nine out of ten people I have had to forgive sincerely do not feel they have done anything wrong. It is up to me to forgive them from my heart—and then keep quiet about it.
Other interesting quotes and articles about forgiveness:
forgiveness takes place in the heart
forgive people, God, and yourself
God sees us as holy, unblamble, and unreprovable!
