{"id":320,"date":"2010-05-17T17:51:11","date_gmt":"2010-05-17T17:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/raincitypastor.wordpress.com\/?p=320"},"modified":"2010-05-17T17:51:11","modified_gmt":"2010-05-17T17:51:11","slug":"forgiving-the-challenge-and-the-power","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/richarddahlstrom\/2010\/05\/17\/forgiving-the-challenge-and-the-power\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgiving – the challenge and the power"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Yesterday\u2019s theme at my church was forgiveness, in particular the challenge that each of us face in forgive those who\u2019ve hurt us deeply. \u00a0We looked at an extended clip from As We Forgive<\/a>, and then invited people to write down names of those they needed to forgive, bring them forward to the altar, pray, and release their anger. There was an avalanche of forgiving that ensued\u2026all day, at every service. \u00a0You can hear the sermon here<\/a>, but be advised that the film clip was in Rwandan, with subtitles, so that part will only make sense if you know Rwandan!<\/p>\n

The challenge comes in the wake of these moments. \u00a0We wonder if there are next steps to take, wonder if what we did was real or meaningful. \u00a0I\u2019d like to offer a short list of observations about the nature of forgiveness and invite your feedback, questions, and comments as well.<\/p>\n

1. Forgiveness isn\u2019t something we do once, and then we\u2019re utterly released. \u00a0Often, we\u2019ll battle maintaining a spirit of forgiveness, as old bitternesses will creep back into our lives easily. \u00a0That\u2019s why we need to forgive continually.<\/p>\n

2. Forgiveness isn\u2019t the same thing as being a doormat. \u00a0Forgiving a person means you\u2019re releasing your own hurt to God, letting Him be your healer and shepherd, and leaving any judgement of the other in the hands of God. \u00a0This frees you to respond to situations out from the posture of strength and love rather than weakness and fear. \u00a0Out from the posture of strength I might need to say to someone, \u201cBecause I love you and you\u2019ve done this thing, this is the line I\u2019m drawing in the sand\u2026\u201d etc. etc.<\/p>\n

3. Forgiving is different than reconciling. \u00a0Forgiving can be done unilaterally, without the involvement of the perpetrator or offender. \u00a0If there\u2019s to be true reconciliation of relationship though, that will require both parties, and both confession and forgiveness.<\/p>\n

4. Forgiving has practical health consequences. \u00a0Sleep health, blood pressure, stress levels, and all of these very practical things are all reflections of the degree of bitterness rattling around in my person. \u00a0Release the bitterness and I feel it not only socially, but in my very body.<\/p>\n

5. Real forgiveness is rooted in the cross, because it\u2019s through the cross that I\u2019m able to move the perpetrator from the category of \u2018inhuman\u2019 to human, just like me. \u00a0And it\u2019s also through the cross that I come to see myself in the category of \u201csinner\u201d, just like my perpetrator. \u00a0This paradigm shift grows like a plant, in the soil of intimacy with Jesus, and nowhere else.<\/p>\n

I hope this helps as a follow up to what happened in our worship yesterday. \u00a0Feel free to share your own insights, questions, and resources.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yesterday\u2019s theme at my church was forgiveness, in particular the challenge that each of us face in forgive those who\u2019ve hurt us deeply. \u00a0We looked at an extended clip from As We Forgive, and then invited people to write down names of those they needed to forgive, bring them forward to the altar, pray, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-320","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life"],"yoast_head":"\nForgiving - the challenge and the power<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Yesterday's theme at my church was forgiveness, in particular the challenge that each of us face in forgive those who've hurt us deeply. \u00a0We looked at an\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/richarddahlstrom\/2010\/05\/17\/forgiving-the-challenge-and-the-power\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Forgiving - 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