Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause people to trip and fall into sin must happen, but how terrible it is for the person through whom they happen. It would be better for them to be thrown into a lake with a large stone hung around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to trip and fall into sin. Watch yourselves! If your brother or sister sins, warn them to stop. If they change their hearts and lives, forgive them. Even if someone sins against you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times and says, ‘I am changing my ways,’ you must forgive that person.” (Luke 17:1-4, CEB)
Forgiveness is one of the hardest things for humans because we have a hard time forgetting what others (and ourselves) have done to us. And there is also this thing called trust.
Forgiving someone doesn’t mean you allow them to continue to do the things they have done. Even though this passage says if they sin against you seven times, that could be the same sin or a different one. Either way, it is a lot, but it doesn’t say the same thing. We still have to forgive them. More for us, than for them because we need to let go of the pain and the agony and let God take care of it. Let go and let God is overused, but it is appropriate.
Let go of the pain and give it to God.
Forgive. as you are forgiven.
Loving People. Loving God.
aSacredRebel 