Christ's last lesson
"Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do"
At the very end of his life Jesus said the above. For him to say that displayed a remarkably insightful heart. He thought of their motivations as well as their deeds and in thinking of those motivations could not condemn their deeds. It is a lesson to us all. We need to forgive because we may not know what was/is driving the other person. Even under the most grievous provocation, we must keep that in mind. It is a most powerful teaching indeed. Could we have forgiven in his situation?
Forgiveness can be so powerful. It is particularly good at restoring relationships. I have been married and divorced four times. But there has never been any anger in me towards the ladies concerned. We have remained on good terms to this day. I didn't consciously forgive any of them anything. I just did not judge or condemn their motivations at all in the first place. I accepted that they had a motivation that was right in their eyes.
I gained so much by being forgiving. And the wonder of it is that it is contagious. Any anger that they had towards me faded away too. Christian teachings work.
I agree, they do work. Forgiveness enables the good will in man, for others, to flow unhindered, forgiveness allows good will to be free-flowing.
ReplyDeleteIn my 20s I had my first big lesson about forgiveness. I asked for everything to be revealed and it was. I remember the sting in my solar plexus. If not for forgiveness there would most likely be hate where there is now friendship. I do also think that forgivness nullifies hurt where it is allowed to pass through.
If there is anything that will set our fallible selves free, it is forgiveness.