Forgiveness is arguably the most difficult feeling to genuinely express in a necessary situation. For example, you have probably been angry in your lifetime at ridiculous situations and in very serious situations. In the moment your anger flared, could you not have replaced it with forgiveness to resolve the situation? Easier said than done, I'm sure we can agree, but the point is that it can be done.
Take this scene from the more recent adaptation of Little Women starring Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder.
http://youtu.be/u3CGG-6alBE (unable to embed due to owner's disabling)
Jo's little sister, Amy, burns her beloved manuscript out of jealousy that Jo was able to go out while restricting Amy and sentencing her to an evening of homework. Jo's anger seems relatively understandable, maybe slightly extreme, but understandable at first glance.
Think, though, was her anger worth it? This is not to say one should not experience upset and that we should all be hunky dory throughout ever instance in our lives, but must we react with angry words and actions in our anger? The reality is, Amy burned a pile of papers. Granted, the papers had Jo's hard work that took a great deal of time and effort but it was a material item she was deeply attached to and nothing more. I am one to speak, I have had a few times in my life where my computer hard drive was done for and I thought I had lost my personal photos, the most important material thing I have. I literally had meltdowns with each loss (and they were recovered which is another story for another day!) and looking back I feel a little selfish.
Where does forgiveness play into this?
Forgiveness is not only about saying, "Well, that's alright so long as your sorry." It's about recognizing that when something is the matter, it just is and if there's something that can be done to fix the situation well then so be it but otherwise there is no good coming from anger. Anger will only hurt others. And so what? The wrongdoer deserves to feel hurt, no? Chances are they probably already do and if they are malicious than let God be their judge.
In the resolution of what Amy did, Jo was able to forgive her. She did come to the realization that it wasn't a true loss. A true loss would be losing her mother, her father, her sister. In the end, she wrote a book that was the complete opposite of what was burned. The only thing that could have made the situation better was Jo thinking about this and recognizing this before lashing out. I would like to imagine that if Amy had been 3 years old, Jo would have displayed a great deal of patience in the same scenario, no matter how upset she felt inside.
Forgiveness is the answer. Grudges stay with you and weigh you down. Forgiveness can release any bitterness you hold inside. There are tough experiences in life such as the murder of a child. Often, spectators and the loved ones of the victim are eager to see the predator be sentenced to death. If that is the fate of someone, there is no reversing the law and extreme as this may sound, God can help you achieve feelings of forgiveness to such a lost soul, relieving the victim's loved ones of a life of anger and hate and bitterness within. Corrie ten Boom is a perfect example. I have written about her work, The Hiding Place, and her experiences during the Holocaust. She refers to a meeting with a Nazi where she begged God to give her strength to shake hands with this person who murdered her sister, her neighbors, so many people and He did. She describes their shaking hands as such a moving moment because God was with there, protecting her from a life of anger. She was able to forgive.
Take this scene from the more recent adaptation of Little Women starring Susan Sarandon and Winona Ryder.
http://youtu.be/u3CGG-6alBE (unable to embed due to owner's disabling)
Jo's little sister, Amy, burns her beloved manuscript out of jealousy that Jo was able to go out while restricting Amy and sentencing her to an evening of homework. Jo's anger seems relatively understandable, maybe slightly extreme, but understandable at first glance.
Think, though, was her anger worth it? This is not to say one should not experience upset and that we should all be hunky dory throughout ever instance in our lives, but must we react with angry words and actions in our anger? The reality is, Amy burned a pile of papers. Granted, the papers had Jo's hard work that took a great deal of time and effort but it was a material item she was deeply attached to and nothing more. I am one to speak, I have had a few times in my life where my computer hard drive was done for and I thought I had lost my personal photos, the most important material thing I have. I literally had meltdowns with each loss (and they were recovered which is another story for another day!) and looking back I feel a little selfish.
Where does forgiveness play into this?
Forgiveness is not only about saying, "Well, that's alright so long as your sorry." It's about recognizing that when something is the matter, it just is and if there's something that can be done to fix the situation well then so be it but otherwise there is no good coming from anger. Anger will only hurt others. And so what? The wrongdoer deserves to feel hurt, no? Chances are they probably already do and if they are malicious than let God be their judge.
In the resolution of what Amy did, Jo was able to forgive her. She did come to the realization that it wasn't a true loss. A true loss would be losing her mother, her father, her sister. In the end, she wrote a book that was the complete opposite of what was burned. The only thing that could have made the situation better was Jo thinking about this and recognizing this before lashing out. I would like to imagine that if Amy had been 3 years old, Jo would have displayed a great deal of patience in the same scenario, no matter how upset she felt inside.
Forgiveness is the answer. Grudges stay with you and weigh you down. Forgiveness can release any bitterness you hold inside. There are tough experiences in life such as the murder of a child. Often, spectators and the loved ones of the victim are eager to see the predator be sentenced to death. If that is the fate of someone, there is no reversing the law and extreme as this may sound, God can help you achieve feelings of forgiveness to such a lost soul, relieving the victim's loved ones of a life of anger and hate and bitterness within. Corrie ten Boom is a perfect example. I have written about her work, The Hiding Place, and her experiences during the Holocaust. She refers to a meeting with a Nazi where she begged God to give her strength to shake hands with this person who murdered her sister, her neighbors, so many people and He did. She describes their shaking hands as such a moving moment because God was with there, protecting her from a life of anger. She was able to forgive.
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