FORGIVE HIM OR HER Do I have to forgive my spouse? The short answer, if you’re a Christian, is yes. Jesus Christ has been crystal clear on that subject: “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins?” (Mark 11:25). The apostle Paul echoes this idea: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13). Both Jesus and Paul answered this question by emphasizing that the most important reason to forgive is that we’ve been forgiven. If we’ve asked for God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice, for our terribly long list of offenses against Him (and if we think we haven’t offended Him, we’re really out of touch with reality), He’s already forgiven us. Why would we do less for those - including our spouses - who have wronged us? Another good reason for forgiving a spouse is that it’s in your own best interest to do so. As in art, what isn’t positive space is negative space. What’s left if we decide not to take the positive step of forgiving? The negatives of depression, anger, self-pity, and bitterness will be fertilized.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Sep 2013 14:40:28 +0000
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