Luke 23: 32-33
32 Two other men, both criminals, were also led
out with him to be executed. 33 When they came
to the place called the Skull, they crucified him
there, along with the criminals—one on his right,
the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive
them, for they do not know what they are doing.”
SO forgiveness is the key to reconciliation and isn’t
reconciliation what we all long for - when hurts
are healed and family relationships restored?
All of us have at times been hurt or aggrieved by
circumstances out of our control, or traumatic
events, inflicted by the people closest to us such
as parents, children, work colleagues or friends.
Sometimes in our reactions to them we have created
roadblocks for ourselves. When we judge the people
who hurt us, and make vows that we’ll never do this
or always do that or never believe this or always
believe that…..we can build a stoniness in our
hearts that closes us off from the life-giving love and
nurture of God and others. Our hearts remain locked
in pain and we do all sorts of things to protect it.
FORGIVENESS AS A LIFESTYLE.
Just as God knew from before the ages that
man would betray Him, He prepared a
body for the sacrifice for sin in Jesus Christ.
Because reaping what we sow is an unchangeable
law of the universe, stoniness can grow and grow
to become a poison tree in our lives seeping
through into bitterness against God or others.
Some people can bury deep-seated anger,
Jesus was with God and was God, but chose to lurking just below the surface of polished
become identified with fallen ma