Anger is like a snake's poisonous bite at first it is just a sharp jab of pain
or hurt as the offending person delivers their remark or offensive action.
Then, as we have time to think about it or others see what transpired, the
venom of hurt spreads slowly throughout the rest of our body. Showing up in our
demeanor, our smile fades, we might look down, or just leave the scene of the injury.
As we retreat to a safe place, it takes hold of our heart and there it will
stay until we do something to change it. As I read the passage, I am reminded how
true this statement is; Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs
them tight. Sirach 27:30.
We have but two choices, we can expel the venom of hurt, humiliation, and
pain by giving the gift of forgiveness or we can let it infect our minds and
poison us against the other person. If we choose to forgive, we may reclaim the
friendship with that person or we can simply move on without remorse.
However, if we choose to let the offense stand then the infection quickly
spreads and resentment sets in, making forgiveness all the harder. If the wound
continues unaddressed for any length of time, bitterness and hate can take root
making forgiveness not only impossible but thoughts of retaliation likely and
the situation can escalate from there and get very ugly indeed.
I have experienced all of these feelings though out the years and some of
them were justified. However, I soon realized that the poison was making me
sick inside, and that the hate that festered there was only hurting me, not the
other person. In fact, they seemed quite satisfied that I harbored those
feelings and showed no intention of dispelling them for me. That is the moment
I realized I could not change the other person. Nevertheless, I could change
how I felt about the experience and stop letting it define my life.
I took action; although it took a lot of courage, I spoke to the offending
party. I forgave them for the incident and I flushed all that anger and
resentment out of my body forever. I cannot describe the relief I felt
afterwards except to say the joy that flooded my heart with forgiveness was blissful.
Forgiveness is a Christian’s finest asset; it makes for a pleasant life with
love and fellowship with others. The Lord Jesus many times throughout the Bible
displayed it. He left it as a commandment second only to loving God with all
our hearts and minds are we to love each other. Part of loving each other is
forgiving each other, for none of us is perfect.
In Matthew 18:21 the parable of the unforgiving servant, Peter asks Jesus
about forgiveness. It states; Then Peter approaching him asked, “Lord, if my
brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him?” “As many as seven
times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.”
Young children are quick to forgive. The parents stay angry with other
parents longer than a child will stay mad at his friend. They can be a
wonderful example to all of us but we should be the ones teaching this lesson to them
instead of learning it from them. Jesus also told us that God would forgive our sins as we forgive others that
sin against us. It would do us well to remember this in our dealings with
others.
Forgiving others can save our own lives, as well as, allowing us
to live in peace while we are here on earth. Can your forgiveness skills be
improved? I think perhaps we can all work on this skill, if you have any ideas
or stories of forgiveness you would like to share please comment below. We can
all learn from each other.
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