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Forgiveness
【Forgetting and
Forgiveness】A friend of Clara Barton, founder of the American Red
Cross, once reminded her of an especially cruel thing that had been done to her
years before. But Miss Barton seemed not to recall it. “Don’t you remember it?”
her friend asked.
“No,”
Came the reply, “I distinctly remember forgetting it.”
You
can’t be free and happy if you harbor grudges, so put them away. Get rid of
them. Collect postage stamps, or collect coins, if you wish—but don’t collect
grudges.
【Forgetting and
Forgiveness】A man who was telling his friend about an argument
he’d had with his wife commented, “Oh, how I hate it, every time we have an
argument, she gets historical.”
The
friend replied, “You mean hysterical.}
“No,”
he insisted. “I mean historical. Every time we argue she drags up everything
from the past and holds it against me!”
【Example of Human Forgiveness】When the first missionaries came to the province of Alberta, Canada,
they were savagely opposed by a young chief of the Cree Indians named
Maskepetoon. Eventually he
responded to the gospel and accepted Christ. Shortly afterward, a member of the
Blackfoot tribe who hated him killed his father. Maskepetoon rode into the village where
the murderer lived and demanded that he be brought before him. Confronting the guilty man, he said,
"You have killed my father, so now YOU must be my father. You shall ride my best horse and wear my
best clothes." In utter
amazement and remorse his enemy exclaimed, "My son, now you have killed me!" He meant, of course, that the hate in
his own heart had been completely erased by the forgiveness and kindness of the
Indian chief.
【Human Enjoined Forgiveness】Some years ago, Dr. M.R. De Haan, founder of the Radio Bible Class,
said, "You can't judge the spirituality of a Christian on the basis of his
prayers, since praying is often done for its effect on the listeners. Nor can you gauge a person's spiritual
status by the loudness of his 'amens' and 'hallelujahs.' Even the liberality of one's giving is
not an infallible test. It, too may
be done for personal recognition or to ease one's conscience. I'm convinced that the surest test of
the depth of our relationship with God is found in our willingness to forgive
others." Showing this attitude
through acts of kindness for those who have offended us often erases all
feelings of bitterness in their hearts.
【Grudges】Madrid, Spain
(AP)
Two
hundred and seventy-seven years seems like a long time to carry a grudge!
【Grudges】It is said that a
rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so upset that it will bite
itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against
others is—a biting of oneself. We think that we are harming others in holding
these grudges and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves.
【Faults】Nothing is easier
than faultfinding: no talent, no self-denial, no brains, and no character are
required to set up in the grumbling business.
【Faults】Faults are like
the headlights of a car: those of others seem more glaring than your own.
【Revenge】Janine Brooks was a dental student when a man ran into her car and drove
away. That was 10 years ago. Her damaged car resulted in a
considerable financial burden on her student income but the motorist neither
apologized nor ever paid for the damage he had done until now. Now it is 10 years later. Janine Brooks, the former student, is
now a dentist and guess who came to her office needing a tooth to be
pulled? He did not recognize her;
she did recognize him. She told him
it wouldn't hurt; she lied. --Associated Press
【Resentment】Leonard Holt was
a paragon of respectability. He was a middle-aged, hard-working lab technician
who had worked at the same
A
proficient marksman, Leonard Holt stuffed two pistols in his coat pockets and
drove to the mill. He stalked slowly into his shop and began shooting with
calculated frenzy. He filled several co-workers with two or three bullets
apiece, firing more than thirty shots, killing some men he had known for more
than fifteen years. When the posse found him standing defiantly in his doorway,
he snarled, “Come and get me, you—I’m not taking any more of your--!”
Bewilderment swept the community.
Puzzled
policemen and friends finally found a train of logic behind his brief reign of
terror. Down deep within the heart of Leonard Holt rumbled the giant of
resentment. His monk-like exterior concealed the seething hated within. The
investigation yielded the following facts. Several victims had been promoted
over him while he remained in the same position. More than one in Holt’s
carpool had quit riding with him due to his reckless driving. The man was
brimming with resentment-rage that could be held no longer. Beneath his picture
in Time, the caption told the story: Responsible, Respectable, and Resentful.”