Friday, October 11, 2019

Does Forgiveness Matter?


Jewel sings, "In the end only kindness matters." (Is this true?)

Matthew 6:15 
But if you do not forgive others their sins, 
your Father will not forgive your sins.

Do you know anyone who seems to hate everyone?
No small slight is forgotten. It is recalled, recounted, forever.
If you ask them about it you will be met with rage.

Small things. Medium things.
Something done to someone else.

If you are ever guilty, you are always guilty. 

It's not much, but enough 
to coil around a heart and choke the life inside. 


And let's not talk about me. 
(Do you ever remember a fault?)


Do these little things matter? Can unforgiveness drag you down? How far?


44 comments:

  1. It is a failing of mine that I find it hard to forgive.

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    1. A trick: pray for the person and unforgiveness will lose its grip.

      I suppose it's not a trick. Ha ha. It is in the bible. :)

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  2. Forgiveness is sooo important.
    The other phrase thrown around that is not true is "Love is all you need".

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  3. I think it is so important to forgive.
    Not forgiving makes you bitter and angry.

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  4. Forgiveness is bad for the person who does not forgive, it eats away at them.

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  5. It does matter. If you don't forgive, the person who hurt you is going on with life, and you are held back, hanging onto it!

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    1. YES! There's an old saying that it's like taking poison and hoping your enemy gets sick.

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  6. sublime post dear Sandi!

    i agree what we keep inside us make us ugly or beautiful or strong or weak

    putting ourselves in others shoes is something make us realize how it feel to do good
    or bad to anyone
    if we want kindness of Lord we have to be one for others
    blessings!

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  7. Who does not forgive the soul of the stone does...

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  8. Not forgiving just rents too much space in my head. Just better to let go -- but it isn't always easy.

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  9. It is not a little thing. Unforgiveness will drag you down into the abyss.

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  10. Forgiveness matters! You do it for yourself. You don't want not to become a miserable and bitter person.

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  11. Hi Sandi :) Forgiveness DOES matter. But I think that people are confused by it. Many people think it's about letting a person get away with horrible things. It's not. It's about trying to work through the hurt and pain, allowing yourself to let it all go so it doesn't continue to haunt you. It's a person's choice as to whether or not they allow that person who hurt them back into their life or not. It took me decades to "forgive" my family. I finally worked through the trauma and pain but disowned them and I feel very much at peace. I forgive to help myself.

    Of course, I also forgive people I love for their mistakes and continue to love them because they try not to repeat those mistakes that cause hurt. In that way I forgive for myself and for them.

    Great post! :)

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    1. Totally agree, Rain.

      I am sorry to hear you have had to distance yourself from them. It is heartbreaking, but I understand. Wishing you peace.

      Thank you for being so open and sharing here.

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  12. It's hard to forgive, even harder to forget. But the effort is worth it.

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  13. I find its much easier to forgive and move on, than be burdened. It does take years to learn this. I still have a couple of people I am still trying to forgive and forget...sometimes I don't know which is which. Have I forgiven and just can't forget? Or is it the other way around?

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    1. I think sometimes we don't forget. But if the memory no longer stings, you have forgiven.

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  14. Forgiveness is surely great for the soul☺

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  15. Só quem perdoa merece ser perdoado…
    Uma boa semana.
    Um beijo.

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  16. Yes, forgiveness matters very much, for so many reasons, and you shared an important verse at the beginning of your post.

    Have a lovely week, Sandi.

    ~Sheri

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  17. The burden you carry by not forgiving is just not worth it and you will not be able to move forward.

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  18. Yes, the doll is Mary holding Jesus. It's so soft. I love it. And they also have a Jesus doll, which is soft too. Jess bought me one, and it's sitting on my bedroom table. : )

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  19. Forgiveness sets us free from the bondage of sin and darkness and bitterness. I am so thankful that Jesus has forgiven me, and therefore I am responsible for forgiving those who may have hurt me in some way. Without that, I would be most miserable. Forgiveness is a gift to our souls.

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  20. Forgiveness does matter, absolutely! It's freeing for your soul to forgive, and it is amazing to be forgiven.

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  21. Un-forgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person gets hurt.

    God bless.

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  22. I was about to post a similar comment to what Victor has already said.
    P.S. Can you tell me how you added the REPLY feature to the comments on your blog? Thanks much.

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  23. Sandi "forgiveness sets the prisoner free and you are that prisoner". Read that line several years ago. Forgiveness certainly matters not just for others but for ourselves as well. Hugs!

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  24. Hi Sandi,
    yes we must forgive others, and what I believe is a major help for us to do this is part of the 'love' spoken of in 1 Corinthians ch. 13 vs. 4-7, especially not keeping a record of wrongs. The battle is not against flesh and blood, but is spiritual. There is also a time for praying for those who, without the Holy Spirit's guidance we might never consider it, and there is also a time for refraining from speaking. God has a wonderful way of changing all of mankind, and He wants all to be saved. That Word is our judge and is the only process that can do that.

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  25. It is not always easy to forgive but it is so important to. Not forgiving can 'eat away' at you leaving you feeling bitter and angry.

    Love that image you've used in this post.

    All the best Jan

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