Many people do not understand or even have a better understanding about what forgiveness is all about, though we do hear about it, we try to practice it, still we are unable to implement it and this is part of what still calls for the inadequacies in our lives, our societies and every where we do found ourselves. Forgiveness is not just a means of letting things go off temporarily, or just for the purpose of cleaning of your mind of the incident or act, rather it’s a means of letting an offence or mistake being done to you to be erased from your mind permanently. Many people did not know this, and that why they keep on promoting the errors or heresies someone has done to them, to be lingering on.
Writing on this particular topic today is not just because I already have it in mind to write on it earlier, but because the Spirit of God placed it on me to make sure it is propagated, probably because someone used the topic as a point of sermon today, and it now pushed me forward to also share my observations on it likewise, as it was dictated by the Spirit of God.
Let me first start by making us understand better what forgiveness means; this is an action or process of forgiving or being forgiven. While, forgive is from the word, “forgiveness”, which means; to stop feeling angry or resentful towards (someone) for an offence, flaw or mistake.
For the purpose of clarity on this theme, I will like to refer to what happened to Joseph the Dreamer and His brothers in the book of Genesis 50:15-21, as a fervent reader of the Holy Book and someone who knows the full story of what happened to Joseph and His brothers, such person does not need to be told about the important of having forgiveness towards one another or towards a neighbour.
Joseph, despite what his brothers did to him with the aim of not letting his dreams to fulfilled, by selling him to Egypt, but as God will surely have His way made him (Joseph) achieve his dream and became lord over them, and at the long run also forgave them of their sins. There is no how for someone to step on one another’s toes, and there is also a need for one to forgive another for the sake of having a clean and clear mindset. This is what Joseph practiced and he achieved it, whereby he became a leader in a foreign land.
In addition, Jesus Christ in Matthew 6:14-15, urged us to always forgive everyone who trespass against us, if we also want God to forgive us our inadequacies too. But today, are we practicing this mandate being assigned to us?
Rather, we keep malice, put people’s sin in mind for a long time and we believe we are making progress in our lives. No, we are deceiving ourselves we are not at any hint of achievements or goodness, because, according to Bryant H. McGill, “There is no love without forgiveness, and there is no forgiveness without love”. So, how do you aim greatness for one you keep malice with yet, you pray greatness for yourself too?
Likewise, Paul Boose states, “Forgiveness does not change the past, but it enlarge the future”.
The bountiful rewards of having the spirit of forgiveness towards one another, speaks more than we may foresee it because of the greatness attached to it.
However, what are things needed to put in place towards having the spirit of forgivness towards our contemporaries in everywhere we may find ourselves.
Many people because of the accumulated errors of their kinsmen or friends towards them, and failure to lend out a friendship hand to them, have decided to break the ladder, when they got to the top.
Staying determined and focused on whatever you are doing are results of forgiveness towards our contemporaries, and this will surely give room for success, which serves as revenge towards our offenders, as this is also made known by Buky Ojelabi, “Forgiveness is the best parting gift, you can offer to those who hurt you, not revenge”.
Let us also keep avoiding retaliation (revenge), rather let’s place everything in God’s hand to take care of whatever might have come up.
