Forgiveness is a
very powerful tool of transformation; unforgiveness is an equally powerful tool
of destruction. St. Paul said it this way:
“Anyone you
forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to
forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in
order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes” (2
Corinthians 2:10-11).
Many people do
not give much credence to a belief in Satan. Believe in a being called Satan or
not, I think we can all agree that evil exists in the world and many times it
is embodied in structures and people who wreck great havoc in the universe. Scott
Peck outlined examples of this evil in People
of the Lie.
St. Paul says
that when we withhold forgiveness, we unwittingly become part of the evil in
the world. Why is this? Because
unforgiveness is about keeping a record of the wrongs done toward us. If we are
intent on keeping a record of wrongs, we become consumed with checking the
accounting book. Forgiveness upsets the ledger of right and wrong and resets
the bookkeeping which sets us free to give our attention to other important
issues and people in our lives. We only have so much room in our heart and
minds, we decide how much room we are going to rent out when we continue on a
path of unforgiveness.
Ronald Friesen ©
2105
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