Embracing the Wondrous Challenge of Forgiveness

You know, when we pray,

For the one who seems to betray,

We allow Mercy into our heart,

And then forgiveness can start.

PRAYER hardly enters our minds when we are frustrated with people. Those that set their minds on doing us over deserve our mercy if for no other reason than our bitterness for their betrayal is a barrier to our beneficence. Is it ever easy to forgive someone who’s betrayed us or let us down so significantly? Yes, it can be, so long as we pray, and as we pray we let go with intention. Letting go has power and control about it.

With forgiveness as our aim,

God’s love we do proclaim,

Especially as we do,

Loving acts we know to be true.

There is always a time,

Where out of resentment we may climb,

So let us simply enjoy,

This grace of God’s we employ.

FORGIVENESS is first an attitude – it’s underpinned that way – and then it’s, secondly, the natural conversion of a tangible action or actions.

Transcending the bonds of the captor of this world, the person forgiving – the aggrieved party – is choosing a heavenly thing: to cast into the abyss all sense of bitterness, resentment, spite, hatred, and all malevolence.

When we have engaged our forgiveness gear, those teeth enmeshed bring peace and growth, all because of the faith we have had to move out of neutral and into inertia and the inevitable redoubling of momentum.

Forgiveness is a thing to embrace,

It’s what we ought to verily chase.

That’s because forgiveness is right,

It brings human and divine delight.

FORGIVENESS is the glory of God because it reveals the will of the Lord to universal divine delight. All those on the side of God are on the side of forgiveness. Only those haters and enviers are happy with unresolved conflict. Theirs is a power struggle. Everything is a conquest of the ego. But not with the one who forgives. They see via the lens of God. And not only that: they seek to bring the will of heaven to earth. They do it because it is the right thing to do. They shelve their selfish agenda.

***

Forgiveness is first an attitude and then, secondly, an action. It is a whole series of humble yet wise actions. The attitude sustains us, whilst commitment and carry-through are the jewels in reconciliation’s crown.

© 2014 S. J. Wickham.