~Forgiveness~

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." ~Matthew 6:14-15

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." ~ Luke 6:37

""If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." ~Luke 17:3-4

"bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."~ Colossians 3:13

The Greek word for Forgiveness is aphiemi, and some of it's definitions are, "to let go, let alone, let be. to disregaurd. to give up, to keep no longer. to leave one by not taking him as companion."

That last definition stood out to me, because it seems that if you choose not to forgive, then that sin that was committed against you, hangs onto you like a "companion" in your every day life. I think that often times people feel that forgiving means that they are still able to bring up the past sins and use them as weapons. I don't see that as the definition of forgiveness. "to keep no longer," does not say to me, "until I am mad, and then I can bring up your past sins."

If we see people through the eyes of their past, then we are not looking at them the way that God does. We are not looking at them in grace. Allow each day to be new for you, and for them. Forgive each other. Move on, and live your life.

"If you, God, kept record on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped." Psalm 130:3-4 (message)