Optimist Roundtable

By Martha Sykes

In the New Testament book of Colossians, chapter 1:13-14, are these words: “ He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins“.

God‘s grace and forgiveness is one thing that we will need all of our lives. Through the mountains and valleys of life, we will always come out alright if we always remember that God rescued all of us from darkness. And that He has given us redemption through His Son.

No matter where we go in life, God‘s grace and forgiveness is always there and who hasn’t been hurt by other people, or criticized my someone, or maybe we ourselves say or do something to hurt another’s feelings? These feelings can leave a person with lasting feelings of anger and bitterness sometimes that may last for years. Jesus tells us in the scriptures that we should be a forgiving person. By embracing forgiveness, we can also embrace peace, hope, gratitude and joy. Think about how forgiveness can lead us down the path of physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

Forgiveness can mean different things to different people; however, it involves a decision to let go of all that resentment and those hurt feelings that can make our life miserable. It doesn’t mean that we are going to forget or excuse the harm that has been done but it can bring a kind of peace that helps you go on with life.

I am sure that we have all had a time when we had to forgive someone. Being hurt by someone you love and trust, can cause anger, sadness and confusion. If we dwell on hurtful events for situations, grudges filled with resentment, vengeance and hostility can fill our lives in our hearts with bad feelings. Forgiveness can be challenging, especially if the person who has caused the hurt doesn’t admit that they were wrong. sometimes it may be ourselves that have a hard time admitting that we are wrong.

Whatever the situation, we can’t force someone to forgive us, but we can pray for God to give us the way to find that peace in our hearts. Forgiveness can change our lives , both by forgiving and also by asking for forgiveness.
As we approach the anniversary of September 11th, let us pray for those who had to have hearts of forgiveness after that horrible day in history.

 

 

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