Forgive and be Free

I am reading an interesting e-Book written by Ed Laymance titled, Not Against Flesh and Blood.

In one section of the book he reminds the reader of the importance of forgiving others. This is a story he told which illustrates this principle very well:

A woman was abducted, raped, robbed, shot and left for dead. When the abductor shot her he put a gun to her head intending instant death. She jerked at the last moment. The bullet went sideways. He ran off and was never found. She survived the attach and endured months of surgeries and rehab.

She was interviewed by a reporter about three to four years after the attach. In the middle of the interview the reporter commented how she must really hate the man that put her through all this. Her response was, "I once did, but not any more." When the reporter asked for an explanation she replied, "For a long time I was consumed with revenge and justice. I wanted him caught. I wanted him to endure all the pain and suffering he had inflicted on me. I could think of nothing else. Them one day it occurred to me. That man robbed me of one night of my life. I decided I was not going to give him one more day!"

What great words! We must remember, unforgiveness can fester inside of us and actually cause us to be ill. When we forgive, we are actually setting ourselves free!

For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Matthew 6:14