040 - Forgiveness

Wording of this Handout:

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40
Forgiveness.

I once knew a man who could describe the horrible things people had done to him over fifty years ago! Some of these people were dead, (!) yet this man continued to go over and over the things they had done, remembering and hurting, and feeling resentment each time he rehearsed the story.

What an utterly waste of time and energy!!

But forgiving people for what they do is not easy. It means letting go of the hurts, and passing the responsibility for what people have done back to them.

It also helps to remember that everyone in the world will one day have to answer individually to God for the ways they have lived. This means that people who do nasty things to you are going to one day answer for that to God. No-one will escape.

This is a great comfort, to know that God is the final judge of all people.


The Bible says "Be gentle and ready to forgive; never hold grudges. Remember, the Lord forgave you , so you must forgive others."
(Colossians 3:13 The Living Bible paraphrase)