Greetings Dear Reader,
We will get around to my gratitude for divine
forgiveness. I first want to dwell on my
gratitude for the forgiveness of others.
I have done some terrible wrongs to people both intentional and
unintentional. Most of them have
forgiven me.
I first value forgiveness for the sake of those who are doing
the forgiving. Failing to forgive
carries such a heavy burden. It gives
place to anger and bitterness. Were we
not able to forgive then the wake of broken relationships would be unbearable
for us all. For those who fail to
forgive it often is.
I am thankful that if we choose to we are able to forgive
others. On that point, saying that we
are unable to forgive is a lie. We
always have a choice. Choosing not to
forgive is dangerous and damaging to us.
Failure to forgive leads to divorce, hatred, and wars. There are other
causes but this is at the core of it.
The other aspect of human forgiveness is that of being
forgiven. It gives us a glimpse of the
divine. We act in a divine way when we
forgive. We exercise power over another
individual with grace and mercy. We act
in the mode of divine love.
When we are forgiven we get new ground on which to
stand. We have an opportunity to do
better than we did. We can better the
relationships around us. It becomes
possible to follow Christ more closely.
I know that I am also deeply thankful for God’s
forgiveness. He renews it daily because
he sees me as his own. The process of
redemption requires that God both forgive and forget my sin. In God’s eyes I am already perfected and he
is just waiting for me to catch up with his vision of me. I do that by following Christ.
A friend of mine in Tennessee shared with me a song that
reflects how we are to see ourselves.
When guilt or regret try to assail me I need to remember that I am both
in the process and complete. I am
forgiven for all that I have done and will do.
I am redeemed. I am truly
thankful for this. It is the wellspring
of my hope.
Redeemed
– Big Daddy Weave
Seems like all I could see was the struggle
Haunted by ghosts that lived in my past
Bound up in shackles of all my failures
Wondering how long is this gonna last
Then You look at this prisoner and say to me "son
Stop fighting a fight it's already been won"
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, I'm redeemed
All my life I have been called unworthy
Named by the voice of my shame and regret
But when I hear You whisper, "Child lift up your
head"
I remember, oh God, You're not done with me yet
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, now I'm not who I used to be
Because I don't have to be the old man inside of me
'Cause his day is long dead and gone
Because I've got a new name, a new life, I'm not the same
And a hope that will carry me home
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, 'cause I'm not who I used to be
I am redeemed, You set me free
So I'll shake off these heavy chains
Wipe away every stain, yeah, I'm not who I used to be
Oh, God, I'm not who I used to be
Jesus, I'm not who I used to be
'Cause I am redeemed
Thank God, redeemed
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store." ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
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