WILL YOU ALSO GO AWAY? Pt. 4 & Afterward

Pt. 4

God knows our frame that we are dust, and He understands that forgiveness is simply good for us. While God has no need for some special unction that requires forgiving those who refuse to ask, (and indeed, sin cannot enter heaven) He understands that our heart, our spirit, our mind always and continually stands in need of cleansing and sanctification, and that the best way to usher bitterness and resentment out the front door is to first divest one’s self of those things which we have harbored in the secret recesses of our souls, and subsequently to offer forgiveness to those who has ravaged our lives, as the result of words or deeds; whether or not they ask.

Another contradiction or difference between God’s style of forgiveness and the one which he vested in us is His ability to forget once He has forgiven. In Psalm 103:12, we read, “As far as the east is from the west so far has God removed our sins from us, (and remembers them no more.)”

While we, as human beings, have the inherent ability to forgive, we cannot forget the other person’s transgressions; (short of developing Amnesia or Alzheimer’s Disease.)

It appears, then, that while God granted us what I refer to as a “Forgiver Mechanism,” He withheld a trait, (which He possesses) from us; and that is a “Forgetter Mechanism.” We forgive. God both forgives and forgets. As a result, we are commanded to forgive, and, by our words and behavior, “act like” we have forgotten.

Some of the variables surrounding the dynamic of forgiveness.

Afterward

But to return to the personal example in my own life. The following questions and answers are excellent gauges of the progress I have made in my quest for forgiveness and my ability to move forward. If you have experienced a hurtful situation, one deserving of forgiveness, the same questions and answers would be equally relevant to you.

Can I truly say that I have forgiven the individual to whom I previously alluded?

Absolutely.

Do I still sometimes experience hurtful emotions which seem to contradict the words of forgiveness which I have spoken?

Yes, indeed.

Am I likely to experience some negative emotions, in the future, as the result of the individual’s decision to treat me in the manner which I was treated?

No doubt about it.

Do I wish to rebuild the relationship which has ceased to exist?

No. There is a vast difference between exercising forgiveness and reinvesting trust in someone who has betrayed one’s trust.

Do I wish the individual well and desire God’s best in their life?

Absolutely. More so than you can imagine.


by William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from (Mc)Donald's Daily Diary. Vol. 43. Copyright pending

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