Posts Tagged ‘Forgiveness’

You are always having impact…but is it the impact you want?

What you say, how you say it, and what you do, all combine to determine the kind of impact you have on others.

I know at times I am guilty of saying things in a way that I shouldn’t and also doing things, which give others a bad impression of me and what I stand for. These days I usually realise as soon as I’ve said or done something I shouldn’t have done, what I’ve done. However that wasn’t always the case, as in the past I’ve been guilty of being unaware of my failings, and therefore didn’t even realise the impact I may be having on others.

These days however, I try to apologise to those concerned when I’ve said or done something I shouldn’t have done. I know that doesn’t positive impactmean it makes it ok for me to say/do things I shouldn’t. So, to those of you I’ve annoyed/upset by saying something, or saying something in a way I shouldn’t, or done something I shouldn’t have, I apologise and ask your forgiveness.

Believe me, I am trying to be a better, more loving, caring and understanding person, but I find it very difficult when I’ve struggling physically or emotionally with life, so please bear with me, and please don’t take anything I say or do in these circumstances to heart because I won’t have meant it the way it’s come across.

I want to be a good influence on people, and have a positive impact on other’s lives, and I know I can achieve this with God‘s help.

We can all have a positive impact on others if we give our lives to Jesus, because He can guide us in all situations and help us be the influence He knows we can be. That’s what I’ve done, how about you?

Would you know why I love Jesus, why He is so dear to me?

This is why I love my Jesus, this is why I love Him so:
He has pardoned my transgressions,
He has washed me white as snow.


Yes, I love Jesus.

Yes, He loves me.

Yes, He gave His life for me, so my sins could be forgiven.

Jesus loves you, and will forgive your sins…you just need to ask Him to forgive you!

  • To hold a grudgeclock
  • To be normal
  • To never forgive
  • To act your age all the time!
  • To work long hours and never spend quality time with your family
  • To worry about things you can’t change
  • To never follow your dreams
  • To care about what others think of us
  • To be anything but happy
  • To save every pence we earn and never treat ourselves

We are all on this earth for a limited time, therefore, live each day as if it were your last, as you never know just how many more days you have left to tell those you love just what they mean to you, or do the things you’ve always wanted to do.

The first to apologise is the bravest
The first to forgive is the strongest
And the first to forget is the happiest

Are you “the first”?

God can help you to become “the first”. Just ask Him because He can help you be brave, He can help you forgive, and He can also help you be happy.

What more could you ask for!

 

We all make mistakes some times.

We all do and say things at times which hurt or offend others.

When we do wrong, we expect others to forgive us, so if someone has hurt or offended you, start by sowing forgiveness.

Forgiveness is something every one of us should be willing to give. God has forgiven us of all our sins so we must do likewise by forgiving those who hurt us, irrespective of who they are or how much or how often they have hurt us.

You say, “I can’t forgive what they’ve done to me.”

I ask you, “What has anyone done to you that is worse than what they did to Jesus Christ?”

Christ was crucified on a cross. He died a slow and agonising death.

We thankfully will never have to endure the pain, agony and persecution that Christ suffered while He was here on earth. But let me remind you that because Christ died on the cross, our sins were forgiven, and every sin we ever commit will be forgiven.

Therefore to try and repay Christ for dying for us, let’s make sure we forgive all those who hurt us in any way, because only then can be truly find peace again. There is nothing anyone can do to us here on earth that we should not we willing to forgive, so let’s keep our hearts open and true to God so that we can find forgiveness even when it feels that forgiveness is the last thing you want to do.

In yesterday’s blog post Helping Isn’t Always Easy I spoke about a situation I’ve been in recently where I been finding it quite difficult to help someone in need. So I wondered, was it just coincidence that today I came across the following quote?

Stop talking about what everybody has done to you and start talking about what you can do for somebody else.

Life isn’t about the past and what has happened in it, it’s about living in the present and looking to the future. Therefore forgive those who have hurt you in the past, move on, and find things you can do to help others. After all there are so many people in need in this world it’s not difficult to find someone who needs your help!

Helping isn’t always easy however there are plenty of people in this world in need of help so don’t be put off just because some may not react in the manner you’d expect when you try to help them.

A few weeks ago I came across the following which was titled ”The Seven Keys to Life“:

  1. God first
  2. Love one another
  3. Never hate
  4. Give generously
  5. Live simply
  6. Forgive quickly
  7. Be kind to everyone

What do you think? I think it’s a good list to follow. After all if we always put God first in our life how can we go wrong!

Did you notice that at number 7 is that word “forgive” again – It seems to have come up a lot in my blog posts this weeks (i.e. in The Power of Forgiveness and Always Forgive?), doesn’t that just show how important it is that we do actually forgive those who hurt us in any way.

So the key to living life is summarised in the seven keys listed above…is it really that easy?

Yes, seven may not seem like much but each one of those items are very difficult to do, particularly all the time. Therefore as with everything in life, we must put our faith and trust in God, and allow Him to help and guide us in life. Keep focusing on God and you’ll find you’re able to succeed at these living life the way God needs and wants you to.

 

I’ve been aware in the last few days of a lot if discussion/comments being made about whether those who physically abuse their partners should be forgiven. This has all come to prominence because the singer Rihanna went on the Oprah Winfrey show last week and stated she had forgiven he had forgiven Chris Brown, the man who was convicted of physically assaulting her a few years ago.

From a Christian‘s perspective I’d say yes, we should always forgive everyone regardless of what they may have done. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to forgive in every situation because I know it isn’t. Personally I know how hard it can be to forgive someone who has hurt me emotionally, nevermind someone who has intentionally physically hurt me, so I can only imagine just how difficult it must be to forgive someone who you thought loved you, but is still willing, and capable of physically hurting you.

I know there has been a bit of an outcry from various groups who campaign for the rights of those who have suffered from physical abuse, saying that Rihanna is wrong to forgive Chris Brown because, “it sends the wrong message to abusers”! How? It doesn’t mean that those who abuse others will not be punished for their crimes, it simply means that those who have suffered at their hands are big enough and strong enough people to forgive them and move on with their lives.

So in conclusion I want to say two things, firstly, well done to Rihanna for being willing and able to forgive Chris brown for what he did to her. Secondly, I just want to remind you that, as I said earlier this week in my blog post The Power of Forgiveness, try and stay strong, forgive others, and live for the present and the future rather than the past.

When people hurt us, either intentionally or unintentionally, it can be difficult at times to forgive them. However if God is willing to forgive us of every sin, surely we should be willing to forgive others when they hurt us?

Allow the power of forgiveness to be stronger than guilt & shame. You can’t change the past; but you can keep it from destroying your future.

Yes, when we’re hurt and forgiveness is the last thing on our mind, it can feel like you will never be able to forgive someone. However as the above says, if we hang onto past hurts, they will completely ruin our present and our future because they will eat away at us and poison us.

So let’s make sure we stay strong, forgive others, and live for the present and the future rather than the past.