Forgiveness is....

.... difficult.

For me personally, I think I can get caught up on the most petty issues. Someone will say a snarky comment and brood on it, and take to heart and stew on the wrongs that people

I remember a freind once saying in a talk that resentment is a poison that kills both people. Its a lose-lose situation, and we can not find emotional, spiritual or relational health by resenting people. We will become more unhealthy, and the pressure will build up in our lives, destoying not only the relationship we had with one person, but creating bars in the relationships we have with others.

Last week, I read a story as part of expressions to the Mosaic Crew. It was a story from the life of Corrie Ten Boon. Corrie Ten Boon was a dutch christian who during the second world war who was imprisoned in the  Ravensbrück concentration camp for housing Jews. She tells the story of meeting one of the gaurds after the war who imprisoned her and was responsible for the brutality she faced in prison. She tells of how she struggled with a moment where he asked for her forgiveness. She had to rely on the grace and power of God to extend her hand in forgiveness. As she did this she felt the love of God sweep over her and her former gaurd.

I think forgiveness is really difficult, but as people, we are called to it. I beleive the only way for people to receive restoration is through forgiveness.

Practicing peacemaking means forgiving people, no matter how big the crime they have made against us.

Jesus's example is ultimate.. He went to the ends of himself to show Gods love for humanity, and extend the hand of grace to all the world. He showed ultimate forgiveness for our trangressions against God. Forgiveness is a grace filled gift, we struggle to give it, but we need to give it to find health. Who is there who you need to forgive in your life?