Forgivess

Today during church our Pastor gave a sermon on forgiveness and especially what it meant on today, the tenth anniversary of September 11th. The scripture was the parable of the Unforgiving Servant.

Matt 18:23-35  Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who wanted to reconcile accounts with his servants.  When he had begun to reconcile, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  But because he couldn’t pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, with his wife, his children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.  The servant therefore fell down and kneeled before him, saying, ‘Lord, have patience with me, and I will repay you all!’  The lord of that servant, being moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt.  "But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’  "So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you!’  He would not, but went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due.  So when his fellow servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to their lord all that was done.  Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me.  Shouldn’t you also have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’   His lord was angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was due to him.  So my heavenly Father will also do to you, if you don’t each forgive your brother from your hearts for his misdeeds."

When I got home I started thinking...is there any unforgiveness in my life I need to let go, or need to let go of one more time? Some forgiveness is harder to give than others.

Forgive a person for saying something mean to me....they may have been having a bad day or had other problems in their life.

Forgive my husband for something he said that cut me deep, he was frustrated over something at work and lashed out. He apologized later and explained why he was so short.

Forgive my father for leaving so early in my life. I was only 17 when the good Lord took him home, and it took me a long time to let go of the anger I had about the whole situation
.
I once heard that forgiveness is not about the other person, it's about the person that is forgiving. Hanging onto hurt, anger, and despair can only poison yourself and your relationships.  So on September 11th I ask that everyone that needs to forgive will to allow healing into their hearts.