Forgiveness

Betsy McKeeby, FUMCWP Parish Nurse, and I were discussing the issue of forgiveness and the profound impact that this issue has on us in a variety of ways. We talked about the impact of forgiveness on the whole person – spiritually, emotionally, physically.

Betsy gave me a handout taken off of the website www.ForgiveToLive.net. On it were the following points that I found helpful. They are called “The Ten Principles of Fogiveness”:

• Accept that life is not fair and that others may play by a different set of rules than you do.
• Stop blaming others for your circumstances.
• Understand that you cannot change the person who hurt you; you can only change yourself.
• Acknowledg ethe anger and hurt that some unpleasant or even harmful even is causing you.
• Reframe your ‘grievance story” by placing the hurtful events in a broader context than your current point of view.
• Recognize that only you can make the choice to forgive.
• Shift your view of the offender by humbly choosing to empathize with his or her life situation.
• Move intentionally from discontent toward contentment.
• Understand that forgiveness will take time and cannot be rushed.
• Take responsibility for your life and your future.

As we all know, forgiveness is an integral aspect of what it means to be a follower of
Jesus. As we also know, forgiveness often is not an easy place to get to with one another. Much of the time forgiveness is a process. It’s not like pushing a button or flipping a switch. It’s a journey, often a painful one, of moving from one place to another in terms of our view and experience with another person. Whether or not to engage in that process is a choice that only we can make.

See you in church!

Grace and Peace,