Forgiveness...
 

Can a person truly forgive?

Yeah, I think so.

The forgiving is easy. It's the forgetting that is impossible.

I'm not there yet!
 

On Oprah yesterday, there was a former guest from 1991. This lady had been beaten beyond recognition by this guy, for whatever reason. The only way the lady's mother could identify her was by way of her feet. :eek: After going through many operations and rehabilitation, this lady is now married and has a daughter.

During her update, she told Oprah that she totally forgives the man for what he did to her and that she would have him over to dinner (if possible). Mind you, this so and so is doing time (I forgot the length of the sentence). She said without a doubt she would have him over and that she forgives him for his actions. She insisted that for many years, she was anger, bitter, etc. but she only hurt herself and pushed others away who cared for her because of the negative behavior.

Anyway, the lady went on to say that if one is going to ever forgive, he or she must do so UNCONDITIONALLY, WITHOUT ANY STRINGS OR RED TAPE. One cannot say I forgive, then go back and bring up whatever happened down the line. At whatever moment you decide to LET GO AND MOVE ON....THAT'S IT! There is no gray area, either you FULLY FORGIVE or you DO NOT!

After I saw her, I KNEW I was not able to forgive. At this point, I can go back and bring stuff up, so I know I'm not ready to do the forgiving thing. It's hard to let go.

Ohhhhhhhh noooooooo! :o

I saw that same show...and then I read about the perp thread(she was dead wrong for that) however can she be TRULY forgiven and if so what would it take? Or what about a spouse who cheats ....can they be forgiven? And if you believe there is a God who forgives us....then why is it so hard for us to forgive if we are supposed to act GODlike?

POWER TO STAND
 

This is why church is great. I was just at church Sunday and the pastor was talking about forgiveness. He said that forgiveness is not being able to forget what has happened to you, what youve done, etc. He said true forgiveness is being able to be at peace with whatever the situation is.

When I looked at it in that regards...I was able to let a lot of things go because I worked so hard to try and forget the things I did to people, what people did to me, etc. that I could never let go and allow whatever healing process needed to take place and move on.

Im just sharing my $19.22 worth

We ALL fall short...
 

the KEY here is SUPPOSED...

That's the way I feel. You can never forget.

It is God's will that we forgive each other as he forgives us. I have been through a lot in my life good and bad and I would hope people "forgive me of my trespasses" as I would thiers.

Sphinxpoet

Forgiveness is about finding peace with whatever has been done to you. Forgetting is impossible but foregiveness is necessary in order to deal with it and move on.

I feel that forgiving someone is possible and necessary. I totally agree that forgiving is the ability to be at peace with something that someone has done to you. Why? Because it's not possible for us to change what has already happened. Now that does not mean that we haveto forget. By remembering, we learn how to not get caught up in the same or a similar situation.

Now, I could forgive (as I HAVE) someone if, for example, he/she stole my money or car. Does that mean that I'm going to allow ANOTHER opportunity for this person to do it to me again?? NO, NO, NO!!! I'm going to be CIVIL to this person. I'm not going to keep throwing it up in his/her face. BUT... I'm going to be THAT much more conscious around this person.

I don't know. I guess that forgiving is MUCH more easier SAID than DONE. But it's what God REQUIRES of us, right?

Some people have no problem in forgiving others, regardless of the prior circumstances. I really need to work on forgiving others if I want the Lord to forgive me.