George Freed
New member
OK, I was listening to the program on forgiveness and as always it was very interesting. I was still having problems attempting to figure out exactly where we were going with this. I could see that the pastor you were interviewing seemed to be feeling the same way. I agree with you and what you’re saying but I seem to be left with emotional problems that I have to resolve. So as always, when I’m having these problems I turn to my ever loving and very wise wife.
So we listened to your show and it kind of got her Irish up, but that’s not too hard because she’s very Irish, well she’s what they call a Celt. She really identifies with the film “Braveheart.” After some discussion what we figured out is that for many people the definition of “forgiveness” has changed. You seem to think that forgiveness is saying that the evil that the person did was “OK,” that by forgiving a person they walk regardless of what they did. I think that for a lot of folks the forgoing definition would stand true.
We have another definition for forgiveness that is quite different. I have a problem and that is when someone does evil to me I hang on to all the hurt, pain, anger and what ever else there is to the point where at some point I get sick, and I don’t mean a little sick. I had NO CHOICE but to figure out a way to drop all the baggage I was carrying or I would end up in the cardiac unit again. No, I’m not having hart attacks, my hart runs wild and my blood pressure goes off the scale. So I really did had to come up with something that was better than what I was doing.
So I forgave all these people and organizations and gave the hurt, pain, anger and what not to God. This doesn’t mean that I’ve let anyone off the hook. One group of folks I’m currently taking to court. But now I’m calm about it, as I’ve given it to God. God keeps reminding to that when is son was on the cross he said, “father forgive them because they no NOT what they do!” When I watch what our nation and its people are doing these days it’s so obvious that they do not know what they are doing. As a matter of fact they no not what they are doing so badly that I don’t think we are going to have a nation OR a free people much longer.
My wife takes her solid Irish stance that she can forgive who she wants, when she wants and that this goes double when the person is repentant. If the person isn’t repentant she will chow down on them, maybe pound on them a little, toss them out of her sight and then forgive them. The forgiveness is NOT for them, but for herself, for her peace of mind. When she tells you this you had better believe it, or get smacked up the side of your head with a blunt object. She’s really not that bad but if you ever met her she would make you kiss the blarney stone for sure. She’s actually quite fun and usually quite right and that’s why when she talks I listen. I’ve been listening for twenty seven years now. She’s a good woman for sure.
But as good as she is she also needs some kind of outlet for her rage when people do bad stuff to her. She tells me that SHE is one of God’s “little ones” and you know what God does to those who harm his “little ones.” So she does her forgiving thing and then hands them over to God. She’s perfectly sure that God will take care of them and from what I’ve seen she’s right. So I’ve tried to lean from her and I’ve been doing better now. I can even stand up now and I haven’t been able to do that in six months. It seems that she can’t really see your point because she has a totally different definition of what forgiveness is. I on the other have agree with you but I do not have a word that defines
what I’m doing when I forgive.
To be clear let me restate what we do when we forgive. I will tell the person that I forgive them if I feel its necessary but I also explain that they are NO WAY off the hook. They will make restitution, they either repent or I’m history in their lives and I will no longer know them or care about them. They will be shunned by me until such time as we can get the matter resolved. For my health and well being I MUST turn the matter over to God and let him handle it. I will however take whatever actions God and I feel might work to expedite a resolution. I let go of the anger, I let go of the pain the best I can. I try to give it ALL to God. I now under that when they hurt or harm me they are doing to themselves. They may not realize it but over time we can see what all this SIN has done to us.
Now there was another spot where my wife kind of hit the ceiling. She really doesn’t like TV and Radio preachers. I used to listen too the 700 club years ago. I was having a hard time at my work place because they were shutting down the entire plant. Thousands of people were loosing their jobs. Watching all my workmates getting cut was killing me. Eventually I got the axe and by that time I wasn’t too well and not thinking too clearly. I called the 700 club for prayer. I was basically told I was cursed by God because I didn’t give them money. That incident at that time made me a lot sicker and for along time I wasn’t in good shape at all. For years after that I thought God hated me. I often wonder how many people in bad shape call for prayer and end up getting hit on for money. I wonder how many of these people after being subjected to this end up doing harm to themselves. So when you said vengeance is a good thing she was not real happy. Vengeance is MINE says the lord NOT ours. I countered with as long as you hand your vengeance over to God and let him handle it its OK. I agree that WE are not to take vengeance into our own hands. We need to remember that vengeance and justice are two different things.
So in conclusion we are doing something and it may not actually be “forgiveness” as you would know it. We must find a suitable label for the THING we are doing because what we are doing is important. You basically said “forgiveness” as some define it is simply a part of “pop culture.” Well we live in a very stressful culture today. People in record numbers are doing drugs, drinking, doing porn; children are “cutting” themselves and killing themselves in record numbers due to depression, stress and loss of hope. I didn’t self medicate or take anything with the results being that my body revolted and I almost died anyway. People are looking wildly for ways to rid themselves of all the stresses they have. I’m going to tell you a little secret. The stress hasn’t started yet, things are going to get really crazy shortly and folks are not going to be able to handle it unless they turn to God!..
This concludes my rant for the day :nono: .
So we listened to your show and it kind of got her Irish up, but that’s not too hard because she’s very Irish, well she’s what they call a Celt. She really identifies with the film “Braveheart.” After some discussion what we figured out is that for many people the definition of “forgiveness” has changed. You seem to think that forgiveness is saying that the evil that the person did was “OK,” that by forgiving a person they walk regardless of what they did. I think that for a lot of folks the forgoing definition would stand true.
We have another definition for forgiveness that is quite different. I have a problem and that is when someone does evil to me I hang on to all the hurt, pain, anger and what ever else there is to the point where at some point I get sick, and I don’t mean a little sick. I had NO CHOICE but to figure out a way to drop all the baggage I was carrying or I would end up in the cardiac unit again. No, I’m not having hart attacks, my hart runs wild and my blood pressure goes off the scale. So I really did had to come up with something that was better than what I was doing.
So I forgave all these people and organizations and gave the hurt, pain, anger and what not to God. This doesn’t mean that I’ve let anyone off the hook. One group of folks I’m currently taking to court. But now I’m calm about it, as I’ve given it to God. God keeps reminding to that when is son was on the cross he said, “father forgive them because they no NOT what they do!” When I watch what our nation and its people are doing these days it’s so obvious that they do not know what they are doing. As a matter of fact they no not what they are doing so badly that I don’t think we are going to have a nation OR a free people much longer.
My wife takes her solid Irish stance that she can forgive who she wants, when she wants and that this goes double when the person is repentant. If the person isn’t repentant she will chow down on them, maybe pound on them a little, toss them out of her sight and then forgive them. The forgiveness is NOT for them, but for herself, for her peace of mind. When she tells you this you had better believe it, or get smacked up the side of your head with a blunt object. She’s really not that bad but if you ever met her she would make you kiss the blarney stone for sure. She’s actually quite fun and usually quite right and that’s why when she talks I listen. I’ve been listening for twenty seven years now. She’s a good woman for sure.
But as good as she is she also needs some kind of outlet for her rage when people do bad stuff to her. She tells me that SHE is one of God’s “little ones” and you know what God does to those who harm his “little ones.” So she does her forgiving thing and then hands them over to God. She’s perfectly sure that God will take care of them and from what I’ve seen she’s right. So I’ve tried to lean from her and I’ve been doing better now. I can even stand up now and I haven’t been able to do that in six months. It seems that she can’t really see your point because she has a totally different definition of what forgiveness is. I on the other have agree with you but I do not have a word that defines
what I’m doing when I forgive.
To be clear let me restate what we do when we forgive. I will tell the person that I forgive them if I feel its necessary but I also explain that they are NO WAY off the hook. They will make restitution, they either repent or I’m history in their lives and I will no longer know them or care about them. They will be shunned by me until such time as we can get the matter resolved. For my health and well being I MUST turn the matter over to God and let him handle it. I will however take whatever actions God and I feel might work to expedite a resolution. I let go of the anger, I let go of the pain the best I can. I try to give it ALL to God. I now under that when they hurt or harm me they are doing to themselves. They may not realize it but over time we can see what all this SIN has done to us.
Now there was another spot where my wife kind of hit the ceiling. She really doesn’t like TV and Radio preachers. I used to listen too the 700 club years ago. I was having a hard time at my work place because they were shutting down the entire plant. Thousands of people were loosing their jobs. Watching all my workmates getting cut was killing me. Eventually I got the axe and by that time I wasn’t too well and not thinking too clearly. I called the 700 club for prayer. I was basically told I was cursed by God because I didn’t give them money. That incident at that time made me a lot sicker and for along time I wasn’t in good shape at all. For years after that I thought God hated me. I often wonder how many people in bad shape call for prayer and end up getting hit on for money. I wonder how many of these people after being subjected to this end up doing harm to themselves. So when you said vengeance is a good thing she was not real happy. Vengeance is MINE says the lord NOT ours. I countered with as long as you hand your vengeance over to God and let him handle it its OK. I agree that WE are not to take vengeance into our own hands. We need to remember that vengeance and justice are two different things.
So in conclusion we are doing something and it may not actually be “forgiveness” as you would know it. We must find a suitable label for the THING we are doing because what we are doing is important. You basically said “forgiveness” as some define it is simply a part of “pop culture.” Well we live in a very stressful culture today. People in record numbers are doing drugs, drinking, doing porn; children are “cutting” themselves and killing themselves in record numbers due to depression, stress and loss of hope. I didn’t self medicate or take anything with the results being that my body revolted and I almost died anyway. People are looking wildly for ways to rid themselves of all the stresses they have. I’m going to tell you a little secret. The stress hasn’t started yet, things are going to get really crazy shortly and folks are not going to be able to handle it unless they turn to God!..
This concludes my rant for the day :nono: .
