I have a favourite saying that was posted on Facebook many years ago by Mhar, Words of Wisdom – “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was You.” This can seem hard to believe, but is absolutely true. Letting go of the anger and hatred for a person who has wronged you is like letting go of a hot coal. You are the one who receives relief.
It is not until we accept Christ sacrifice for us, accept Him as our Saviour and ask for His forgiveness that reconciliation happens. In the book of Acts, Peter says – “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. … Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” Acts 2:38; 3:19.
Paul told the Ephesians, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32. Even Jesus Christ taught in the Lord’s Prayer – “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. . . For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:12, 14, 15.
If we cannot forgive someone else the wrongs that they do or have done to us without expecting reconciliation, then we show that we don’t truly have the love of God in our hearts that a converted or forgiven person should have. It places our own salvation on shaky ground.
Do you need for forgive someone for something they did? Why not do it right now and release yourself from the prison you have been held in.
Until next time – remember, safety first!