Friday, June 17, 2011

Journey of Faith Friday: 7 Truths About Forgiveness

Amber's Articles

Forgiveness Part II

If you missed last week, you can read my post about forgiveness HERE.  Today I will continue by sharing 7 truths about forgiveness that were given to me several years ago.
  1. It is essential to recognize our own sinfulness because self-righteous people have the most trouble forgiving and being merciful to others.
  2. Forgiveness does not mean continuing to tolerate abuse.
  3. Forgiveness of YOURSELF is God's will and is as essential to good mental health as forgiveness of others.
  4. "Excusing" is not the same as "forgiving," and EXCUSING IS NOT APPROPRIATE, but "understanding" can promote compassion.
  5. Forgiveness does not mean what the offender did was O.K. or that s/he is "off the hook."
  6. To forgive and FORGET is not totally possible.  There's a choice not to DWELL on past hurts and injustices, however.
  7. God will not allow unfairness indefinitely.  Someday justice will be satisfied.  -Romans 12:19, Psalm 37
If you were able to apply Steps 1-3 last week you may appreciate or be able to use Steps 4-6:

Step 4  Ask God to help you view the person who hurt you as a TOOL that God can use to develop your character.
  • Romans 5:3-5 (NIV) Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. 
Step 5  Hand over to God the right to execute justice

Step 6  Choose (by decision of the will) to FORGIVE the person(s) who hurt you.
  • To forgive_______(enter name of person/s)_______doesn't owe me anymore.
  • What they did to me is between______(enter name of person/s) and God.
**This information is from Dr. Charolette MelcherFocus on Relationships, Inc.
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Are you struggling to forgive?
Has this been helpful?
What other information could you share regarding forgiveness?

You can read previous Journey of Faith posts HERE.

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5 comments:

Renee said...

Good thoughts here--thanks, Amber! I'm glad you mentioned that sometimes you can't forget. But you can remember without the pain and bitterness. Blessings!

Kindra said...

I enjoyed your last post on forgiveness as well as this one. I learned a lot this week about how important it is to communicate with those we love so that there is an opportunity to extend and receive forgiveness. Thanks for sharing this wisdom dear friend.

Sandy said...

Excellent! So practical...so TRUE!

Cori said...

I think everyone could be better at forgiveness ... I know it's something that I need to work on and have striven to get better at!

Thanks for the reminder :D

Carolina said...

Just having a chance to catch up on your blog today. Really enjoyed your series on forgiveness, looking forward to talking about it this week. Thanks for taking the time to write this out :)