This is the conclusion article for my 2 previous entries on RenJie’s story (Part 1, Part 2, Locking Me Up).
In my previous blog “Locking Me Up” I wrote that some of us are trapped in the prisons of our hearts because we find it difficult to forgive the people that had hurts or disappointed us. As a result, we may find ourselves holding a grudge against them and we have no freedom at all.
The key to unlock the doors of this prison of UNFORGIVNESS is simply FORGIVENESS!
For me personally, when I feel that someone has let me down or huts me, I try to forgive him or her by
a) Asking myself why did this person do such a thing?
I put myself in the shoes of this person and try to see from his point of view. Though the person behaviour or action may be wrong, there may be circumstances that force him to react like that. That helps me understand his situation better and let go of the burden in my heart towards him.
b) Reminding myself that no one is perfect.
By putting myself in the shoes of the person, I also realize that I may do even worse thing than him. At the same time, I also remind myself that I have done wrongs to others in the past. The people that I have hurt and disappointed have forgiven me for my mistakes. Hence, if they can forgive me, shouldn’t I do the same to others?
I end my entry today by sharing a great story of forgiveness that I had seen on a documentary. The father of a man was shot dead by a thief when he was a young boy. His dad was robbed of his life for only a few dollars! In the end, the thief was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment. Life was not easy for the man without his dad around. He missed his dad tremendously.
What could the man have done? He could cursed God for taking his dad away. He could have hated the thief for killing his loved one. Yet the man did a great act of forgiveness. One day, he went to visit the thief in prison and release forgiveness to him. At the same time, he even petitioned for the early release of the thief. In the end, the thief was released from prison!
Guess what? The man in his act of forgiveness not only set the thief free from his physical prison but also from the prison of his heart as he was guilt-ridden of killing an innocent man. At the same time, the man had set himself free from the emotional pain of losing a dad.
In my previous blog “Locking Me Up” I wrote that some of us are trapped in the prisons of our hearts because we find it difficult to forgive the people that had hurts or disappointed us. As a result, we may find ourselves holding a grudge against them and we have no freedom at all.
The key to unlock the doors of this prison of UNFORGIVNESS is simply FORGIVENESS!
For me personally, when I feel that someone has let me down or huts me, I try to forgive him or her by
a) Asking myself why did this person do such a thing?
I put myself in the shoes of this person and try to see from his point of view. Though the person behaviour or action may be wrong, there may be circumstances that force him to react like that. That helps me understand his situation better and let go of the burden in my heart towards him.
b) Reminding myself that no one is perfect.
By putting myself in the shoes of the person, I also realize that I may do even worse thing than him. At the same time, I also remind myself that I have done wrongs to others in the past. The people that I have hurt and disappointed have forgiven me for my mistakes. Hence, if they can forgive me, shouldn’t I do the same to others?
I end my entry today by sharing a great story of forgiveness that I had seen on a documentary. The father of a man was shot dead by a thief when he was a young boy. His dad was robbed of his life for only a few dollars! In the end, the thief was caught and sentenced to life imprisonment. Life was not easy for the man without his dad around. He missed his dad tremendously.
What could the man have done? He could cursed God for taking his dad away. He could have hated the thief for killing his loved one. Yet the man did a great act of forgiveness. One day, he went to visit the thief in prison and release forgiveness to him. At the same time, he even petitioned for the early release of the thief. In the end, the thief was released from prison!
Guess what? The man in his act of forgiveness not only set the thief free from his physical prison but also from the prison of his heart as he was guilt-ridden of killing an innocent man. At the same time, the man had set himself free from the emotional pain of losing a dad.
Be Free by forgiving!
0 comments:
Post a Comment