Tuesday, January 24, 2006

forgiveness

I'm still working on this...


Forgiveness...one step further
I heard an interesting addition to the process of forgiveness today. I was watching "Luggage", a Rob Bell NOOMA DVD, and he suggested that until you are able to look at someone who has wronged you and wish them the best in life, you haven't truly reached a state of forgiveness. It's one thing to say "I forgive you". Not that that's an easy step either. That step alone could take years. But to then look at the person (either figuratively or literally) and tell them that you want the best for them and that you hope their journey is 'blessed'--that's a whole different thing. Our natural inclination is to wish they get what they deserve, and not in a good way. We usually want that person to suffer for what they've done, or at least pay the toll. But that's a call for vengeance. That's a sign that you haven't truly let go of your bitterness or resentment. You haven't really forgiven them. Would we want God to treat us that way after we've completely disappointed or hurt Him? Would we want Him to forgive us and then say, okay, now hopefully something bad will happen to teach you a lesson? Doubtful. We'd want Him to forgive, let go of the wrongdoing, and move forward with good things for us. It's a good final step and a good test to see if we've truly reached a state of complete forgiveness. Not sure if I've reached that place in all areas of forgiveness in my life.
posted by Kelvin @ 1:23 PM

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