Forgiveness...It's a beautiful thing!

How many times have you asked someone to forgive you for something you may have done against them? Or how about asking for forgiveness even though you believed that you hadn't done anything wrong? Then again can you recall a time when someone asked you to forgive them?

Lets be honest at some point in our lives we are going to offend, hurt, or anger somebody. Just like no one gets out of life alive, no one will get through life without committing one or more of the three above mentioned offenses. And we won't live without having those same offenses rendered against us. Ofttimes it's not a purposeful endeavor. Things happen. While I'm not down playing hurting anyone or offending someone, it happens. And when it does we seek forgiveness. Call it whatever you like, but in the end it still comes back to the same thing.

Forgiveness is defined as: compassionate feelings that support a willingness to forgive as well as being typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, and ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. (That comes from Google.)

Now according to the Bible--another great source-- (I'm just saying) forgiveness is a free gift of God, that once someone seeks sincere repentance, that person's sins are forgiven and forgotten. Also there's no condemnation before God.

If we are to give any credence to Google or the Bible-- in particular-- doesn't it stand to reason that the ability to forgive is really something special. But sometimes it seems as though forgiveness is one of those things that applies only to the other guy. It's okay for us to ask someone to forgive us and expect them to do so, but what about when someone asks you to forgive them? Do you? Are you holding on to past hurts or offenses? Are you heavy laden with images in your mind and weight on your heart from yesterdays?

If so...how about giving to others the same gift that we ask God for and fully expect Him to deliver. Forgiveness. It's a beautiful thing!