A
thought by Andy Stanley, (2009-01-21) from his book, Louder Than Words: The Power of Uncompromised Living (Kindle
Location 1942). The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
Now
it does have some benefit to the one being forgiven. I mean it really makes us feel good when
someone shows they care enough to ask us to forgive them for something we did
to them. The gift of forgiveness to
someone is a very meaningful gift but the real gift is to the one doing the
forgiving.
Now
it does have some benefit to the one being forgiven. I mean it really makes us feel good when
someone shows they care enough to ask us to forgive them for something we did
to them. The gift of forgiveness to
someone is a very meaningful gift but the real gift is to the one doing the
forgiving.
As
Andy says, “We have a tendency to view forgiveness as a gift to the one who
offended us— as a benefit to that person.”
That is why it is difficult for us to do. We see it as letting them off the hook for
what they did to us.
But
he then goes on to say, “For the most part, it’s a gift that was designed for
us. It’s something we give ourselves. Because when you consider everything
that’s at stake, the one who benefits the most from forgiveness is the one who
grants it, not the one who receives it.”
Think
about that the next time something inside you prods you to forgive. For one Christ demands it. There is guilt if we don’t. But it also releases us from what
happened. We are no longer chained
emotionally to the action. Just let it
go through forgiveness. And it makes us feel so good.
So what
person are you holding on to by not forgiving them?
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