Forgiveness

My pastor, Brian Kearns, has been preaching on forgiveness the past couple of weeks. It has truly blessed my heart. Here are a few of the notes I jotted down from the messages.

Forgive seventy times seven. Wow!

The offender cannot calculate the impact of what they have done. Forgive anyway.

There is absolutely no way to fix what has been done. Forgive anyway.

The 5 excuses for carrying unforgiveness in our lives:
1. It is too big.
2. Time will heal it.
3. I'll forgive when they say, "I'm sorry."
4. I can't forgive if I can't forget."
5. They will do it again.

When you harbor bitterness and fail to forgive, you are the one who suffers. It is like drinking poison and expecting the offender to die.

When we forgive, we don't keep bringing the offense up to others; and we don't keep bringing the offense up to ourselves. ( I have been so guilty of doing this.)

Different actions will lead to different feelings. So, we should be kind and tenderhearted. And thus, we become more like Christ.

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The ideas of forgiveness, mercy and grace have been taking on new meaning in my life. I am seeing more and more clearly just what God did for me and what I, in turn, should give to others. I am thankful for all that I am learning. Hard lessons, but very precious.