Forgiveness: The Other Side

If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that the reason we have difficulty forgiving others is because we sincerely believe we are justified in our withholding forgiveness. We become the judge of the offenders and by harboring bitterness and resentment against them; it is our distorted way of meting out punishment. After all, our wounds are deep and our heart severely punctured.

At the core of our unwillingness to forgive of course, is our own selfishness-the "me" factor. We are deeply focused on what was done to "me." We refuse to let ourselves heal and we therefore become prisoners of the self, forever pacing the narrow cell of animosity and self-pity. Some folks have sentenced themselves for life and they are still dismally serving their time.

Scripture is clear in its warning to not usurp God's responsibility. It is not our job to "get even." As Paul wrote to the Romans, "Do not take revenge my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord'" (Romans 12:19). We must surrender the idea that we need to punish those who have hurt us. God has His own timetable and His own way and we have to relinquish the desire to even "get them told."

For our own emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being, forgiveness is central. Nothing I can say would exaggerate its importance.

Every human being possesses the capacity to forgive though, granted, it may not be easy. It may not be easy to forgive because it requires an acute awareness of our own need to been forgiven.

Forgiveness has two sides that are forever linked together: the forgiveness we need from God and the forgiveness we owe to other human beings. Until you forgive others, you are not able to receive forgiveness from God. You cannot receive forgiveness because by your unwillingness to forgive, you have blocked the entrance to your heart barring God from entering. God will not force His way through. But, in recognizing and understanding our own need to be forgiven, we are released from the pride that binds and enabled through God's power to forgive others.

Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. http://www.clergyservices4u.org. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, will be available soon.

same day cleaning service Des Plaines ..
In The News:

New iPhone replacement scam uses pressure tactics and fake carrier calls to steal devices from buyers. Criminals claim shipping errors and demand urgent returns.
Amazon Ring's new facial recognition feature sparks privacy controversy as Electronic Frontier Foundation critics argue the AI upgrade expands surveillance risks.
New Android banking trojan Sturnus steals credentials, reads encrypted messages and controls devices.
Denmark's 3D-printed student village proves automation builds 36 apartments faster than traditional methods. Skovsporet project shows housing future.
Discover Android's new Sound Notifications feature that alerts you to smoke alarms, doorbells, and baby cries even when wearing headphones.
New SantaStealer malware reportedly threatens holiday shoppers with password theft. This Christmas-themed info-stealer targets browsers and crypto wallets.
The Christmas season brings a surge in Netflix phishing scams targeting shoppers with fake emails. Stacey P received convincing scam but verified account first.
San Francisco Giants invite Jamie Grohsong to throw ceremonial first pitch at Oracle Park after he learned to play baseball with a bionic hand following an injury.
FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.
Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.
Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.
Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.
Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.
The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.
Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.
Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.
Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.
Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.
The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.
OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.
Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.
LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.
Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.
Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Did You Know Everything In Your Dream Is About YOU?

Carl Jung, 20th century psycho analyst and dream researcher, said:... Read More

A Walk With A King

I seemed to have lost my heart. Now this is... Read More

The Pizza Parable

Behold, a certain young maiden did often times and at... Read More

Ego - Why Do We Have One?

Why do we have an Ego?Almost all spiritual guides say... Read More

Going Where Youve Never Gone Before

One of the first issues people on the spiritual path... Read More

Echos Transition

Echo was a flea-bitten gray horse, with brown speckles everywhere,... Read More

Heal Emotional Difficulties With Your Imagination

How did an artist accidently learn healing visualizations and improve... Read More

Overcoming Burn Out

Burn out, it can happen to anyone. Some of the... Read More

My Name is HAD-- Life Lessons Learned!

My name is Had. You may know me, but you... Read More

Kundalini Awakening - Definition and the Path

Kundalini Awakening - the sure shot method for awakening of... Read More

Abandon Religion

Why Abandon Religion?It is so commonly believed today that religion... Read More

Dream As Big As God!

Sounds like a tall order doesn't it? But I think... Read More

Starved Spirits, Sorrowful Souls

Give us today our daily bread. Matthew 6:11 (NIV) We... Read More

God - A Thousand Words Wasted

Who is God? This question would sound awkward to 80%... Read More

One More Mile

I want to share with you something that happened to... Read More

Spiritual Sanity

Prior to the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United... Read More

Getting Comfortable in Your Own Skin

What does it mean to be comfortable in your own... Read More

Catch A New Lover With DIY Magic!

One night, whilst watching TV, I understood a very useful... Read More

Who Has The Greatest Job In The World?

I have, in my opinion, the world's perfect job. Just... Read More

Do Unto Others Marketing

We've all heard the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as... Read More

Is Your Soul Breathing?

God made humans in his image but these days very... Read More

Enlightenment, Moving to a New Level of Awareness

(Channelled)Roy, what a marvellous job you are doing on your... Read More

Letting Go of Judgment - Finding Good (God) In Others

"I resolve to speak ill of no man?and proper occasions... Read More

A Beautiful Mind is a Simple Mind!!

In the movie "A Beautiful Mind" John Nash (played by... Read More

Chakras 101

The chakras are different coloured energy centres that originate from... Read More

home cleaning services Mundelein ..