I’ve been taught the importance of forgiveness from the time I was a boy.
My church has taught the importance of forgiveness all my life.
I’m not sure when it was that my definition of forgiveness started to vary from a new definition of forgiveness.
It could have been that news story long ago, where a student was shot and killed on a high school campus. The next day the sign in front of the school said that the school forgave the murderer!
“What an interesting comment,” I thought.
I believe that I do not have the ability to forgive a person for his transgressions on another. I believe that forgiveness must come from the person wronged. This is one reason why murder is the one unforgivable sin, because there is no one left but God to forgive.
The school can forgive the murderer for the hurt he brought to the school, but somehow I don’t think that is what they were thinking. If they were, maybe the sign would read “We forgive you, and pray God will too.”
There was another thing that bothered me about the sign at the school. It was up for all to read the day after the shooting. I would have thought a time of mourning would be appropriate before a time of forgiveness.
Whether I’m reading this school right or wrong I don’t know, but it does seem rather clear that the school and I have a fundamental disagreement on forgiveness. I’m cynical enough to believe that the sign was the idea of a few administrators and was meant to show their goodness to the community. In other words it was more of a self-righteousness act than an act of forgiveness.
My core belief remains the same.
If a burglar breaks into your home, the government can arrest and punish him, they can set him free, they can force him to return your stuff and repair your house but they can not forgive him. Only you can forgive him and I hope the burglar seeks your forgiveness and sincerely wants to make you whole.
Forgiveness is a wonderful thing, both receiving and giving forgiveness is a wonderful thing. Therefore I will never cheapen the worth of forgiveness by granting it to anyone but the person who has been wronged.
If forgiveness can be granted by others than the person wronged, why wouldn’t churches set up a council on forgiveness to forgive people who will not ask for forgiveness from the people they wronged? How about a government agency on forgiveness to make sure we forgive people who have wronged others but were unable or unwilling to seek their forgiveness.
Hey, a government agency on forgiveness. It would be one less thing an individual would have to concern himself with, and instead empower the government in this area. I think a lot of people would like it.
OK! You get my point.
Seek forgiveness. Be forgiving, but understand you don’t have the right to forgive a person for their transgressions against another.
CDsailor
