Thinking Like an Elephant

Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.”

So, we have been wronged over and over and over in our live times and we are called to forgiveness.  Sometimes we grow weary in the process yet we know in our hearts that it is the right path to take.  Do you know that when you are forgiving someone, you are in actuality releasing yourself more than anything else?  Forgiveness allows you to no longer be bound to any issue you have with another person even if that person is continuing on in sin.  Now, this of course does not give the other person permission to run amuck  all over your life by doing the same offense over and over and over, however each time it happens, we are called to forgive.  But do we have to forget is the million dollar question.

In my opinion no, we do not have to forget.  We may become like the memory of an elephant and never forget what offense was committed against us.  In doing so we forgive and store away in our minds the incident so if it arises again we may use wisdom not to react perhaps in the same way we did the first time.  Take for example you have an argument with your spouse.  You get upset by something they was said about your past.  You talk things over and both come to the point of forgiveness and you go about your day knowing that all is well.  Then a week later the same issue arises and because you remember what the reaction was last time, you can respond in a different manner resulting in a different outcome.  This is using wisdom to avoid insanity.  This stops the issue from being on a merry-go-round and happening again.

Forgiveness sometimes can be the hardest thing to do in our Christian walk.  So many of us have been hurt by past relationships or abused in some way or another.  Sometimes forgiveness is the last thing we want to do because we feel the other person does not deserve to be forgiven and this leads to bitterness which will eventually come to destroy parts of you.  It is better to quickly forgive than to stand in sinking sand and suffer in the end.  Forgiveness allows us to lean on God to a deeper level especially when we feel no urge in us to let some people know they are forgiven.  For me personally I would rather get the hard part over so that I could be open to the next level in God.  I don’t have any desire in me to hold on to things which will hinder my walk with Jesus.  I want to be free from bondage.  Jesus came to set us free and I want to stay that way.