AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO SIN AGAINST US
And forgive us our trespasses (debts), as we forgive (our debtors) those who sin against us. -Matthew 6:12
Overlooking a transgression is to look beyond the transgression whether big or small, but to be frank with you it is not all that easy.
When it concerns others and we are asking them to forgive the wrong done to them, we try to appeal to them with Scriptures, convicting and convincing them to consider the effects of unforgiving, if they choose not to forgive. But when the ball is on side, we calculate and reason all tangible arguments and choose not to forgive them.
Well, it is always easier said than done, sometimes we think it’s easier to tell somebody to forgive his offender just like that, because
…show more content…
Throughout Scriptures this has been commanded and to be practiced.
Let go of hurts, abandon grudges and forgive others, forgive like God forgave you and not like how man never forgets and forgives. Let’s see how God forgives.
Forgiving like God -The Prodigal son - Luke15:18-20.
The parable of the Prodigal son is well known among Christians. A man has 2 sons, the younger son, came to the father and put a request before him.
He wants his portion of the father’s possession that falls to him, when the father dies. The father granted him the request, illustrating that God sometimes permits us to go our own way.
Henri Nouwen wrote in his book –“The Return of the Prodigal Son’’ that the younger son’s manner of leaving is tantamount to wishing his father dead.
The story is unheard -of-event, it’s hurtful, offensive, and in radical contradiction to the most venerated tradition of the time. For over 15 years I have been asking people of all walks of life, about the implications of a son’s request for his inheritance while the father is still living.
The conversation runs as follows.
Could anyone ever make such a request?
Never!
Finally, Kor expresses the importance of forgiveness. “Anger and hate are seeds that germinate war. Forgiveness is a seed for peace. It is the ultimate act of self-healing. I look at forgiveness as the summit of a very tall mountain” (Kor and Buccieri 133).
He never knew his father, he was separated from his mother at an early age, his mother died when he was young and he was not allowed to go
Shlomo “When they withdrew, next to me were two corpses, side by side, the father and the son. I was only fifteen years old.” A jewish boy try to help his father survive the “Night”. The analyzation between father and son in the story “Night” is Elie and his father, and meir and his father have contrasting actions towards their fathers such the way they cared for their fathers and the way they felt about their father during their imprisonment.
The “perpetrator” then reflects on their comment and feels guilty for it then transforms their attitude so they aren’t the “bad guy” anymore. I believe that forgiveness allows the perpetrator a chance for inner transformation and “to escape the whirlpool of wrongdoing” (Matthieu Ricard- 236)that they may feel caught
Eliezer Wiesel loses his confidence in god, family and humankind through the encounters he has from the Nazi death camp. Eliezer loses confidence in god. He battles physically and rationally forever and no more accepts there is a divine being. "Never should I overlook those minutes which killed my god and my spirit and turned my fantasies to dust..."(pg 32). Elie endeavored to spare himself and asks god commonly to bail him and take him out of his hopelessness.
People choose forgiveness because they want to release the initial offender from their guilt and past action to form a better relationship with them. As Chernoff discusses, "When we release others from the penalties of their actions, we create a space where our own thoughtless actions against others can be forgiven as well”(1). The quote above explains how forgiving others can allow for a better relationship based off of forgiveness between the initial offender and the avenger. People forgive because they see it as the right thing to do. In the text, "In reality, I was just a man who got somebody mad-- mad enough to want to kill him-- and survived it.
Forgive and Forget? Why do we continue to push the narrative that forgiveness is the key to happiness? Although forgiveness is often established as a crucial step toward achieving inner peace, it isn't necessary for happiness and well-being. Depending on the offense's severity and the offender's lack of remorse, holding onto negative emotions and choosing not to forgive can be a viable alternative that promotes personal well-being and empowerment for individuals.
We are humans and a majority of us have dealt with heartache, pain, broken promises, along with the joyous things like dreams, aspirations, and successful futures. Humans mess up and make mistakes, but we have to remember that forgiveness is a very prestigious and powerful thing. Forgiveness affects people’s lives in positive ways through the hardships, difficulties, and struggles of life. There comes a time when forgiveness should not be available to some individuals. However, this depends on the past situations that have occurred in your life as well as other individuals.
Forgive, not because they deserve forgives, but because you deserve peace. It’s not easy to stop blaming someone’s fault, especially for someone who do wrong to us. In the book The Sunflower written by Simon Wiesenthal, a survivor of the Holocaust during World War II, he described his conflict with Karl, a dying Nazi soldier who killed many innocent Jews and begging for forgiveness for his outrageous crime at the end of his life. At the end of this sad and tragic episode, Simon did not response to Karl’s request directly; instead he left us a tough question: “What should you have done?” Based on what Karl had done during World War II and his repentance, each person might have their own point of view about where should we draw the line of forgiveness.
“I learned a long time ago that some people would rather die than forgive. It’s a strange truth, but forgiveness is a painful and difficult process. It’s not something that happens overnight. It’s an evolution of the heart.” (Kidd)
Furthermore, it is true that forgiving doesn’t make all wrongs okay, but forgiving is not the same as forgetting. It is possible to forgive someone, but not want to pursue a relationship with them. Executing resentment towards someone is not the same as continuing interactions with them. For example,
What Would I do? There are many definitions of forgiveness. The dictionary defines forgiveness as “The disposition or willingness to forgive.” I agree with that, but I believe that forgiveness also lies in the hands of the victim and varies based on the crime.
In the two short stories, “Young Goodman Brown,” by Nathaniel Hawthorne and “The Prodigal Son,” by St. Luke there is a parallel struggle of faith. Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story, “Young Goodman Brown” is a very dark tale of mystery and deceit that surrounds a young man’s test of true faith in his battle against the evil one. In the parable of “The Prodigal Son,” Christ gives the reader a picture of God’s unfailing love toward His children and His ever constant surrounding presence. Faith is tested in each of these stories and the choice becomes to either succumb to this evil world, turn to God, or perhaps something else altogether. Although each story differs in climactic endings, both protagonists in each story reflect the struggle of one’s very soul by their reluctance to fully submit to God.
Hence, a true redemption can only lead to a healed sin. Before one understands what is forgiveness, reconciliation and healing, one should know what it really means. Forgiveness means acceptance of the offender and restoring relationship. Such an act sets in motion a process of reconciliation and healing.
His painful circumstances help him to see his father in a new light and bring him hope. (Gobelet, 2016. P 215.) This led us to the surrender of the son. The young son was more than willing to give up his rights as his father’s son and take upon the position of one of his servants.