Pastor Mark Driscoll
Can you imagine if your obituary said this: “She abandoned her children…and will now face judgment…She will not be missed…this world is a better place without her” (1)? Shocking its readers, this exact wording actually appeared recently in a newspaper. The woman’s son explained the obituary saying, “We wanted to finally get the last word” (2).
Most of us, if honest, have thought such things about someone. But, to put them into print by paying for an obituary to speak against one’s own recently deceased mother caused quite a buzz.
Apparently, revenge obituaries are a growing trend (3). One called a deceased man “a model example of bad parenting, with mental illness and a complete commitment to drinking, drugs, womanizing and being generally offensive.” Another said a mother spent, “her lifetime torturing [her children] in every way possible” and did not “allow anyone else to care or show compassion towards them”.
Who are you bitter against, holding a grudge toward, infuriated by, unforgiving of, or capable of vengeance against? For your own wellness, you need to receive forgiveness from God through Jesus Christ and share that gift with others for five reasons.
1. When you forgive, you glorify God.
Exodus 34:6-7 says, “The LORD passed in front of Moses, calling out,
“Yahweh! The LORD!
The God of compassion and mercy!
I’m slow to anger
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.
I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations.
I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
But I don’t excuse the guilty….”
In this verse, the God of the Bible wants to be known for his compassionate mercy, patient forbearance, and loving faithfulness that compels him to forgive guilty, rebellious sinners like you and me.
Do your habits of forgiveness show off this God of compassion and mercy? These are the words God uses to introduce himself to the beleaguered, battered, and broken, all who need the hope, help, and healing of forgiveness. Do these same words to describe your character?
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