\u201cThen Peter came to Jesus and asked, \u2018Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?\u2019Jesus answered, \u2018I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.\u2019\u201d (Matthew 18:21\u201322)<\/p>\n
Christmas is the time of year when we do a lot giving\u2014presents to our friends and family, time to outreach organizations, money to charity.<\/p>\n
While we\u2019re in this giving mode, why not give the gift of forgiveness this Christmas? If you\u2019ve been holding a grudge, this is the perfect time to let it go and forgive once and for all.<\/p>\n
Maybe you thought you\u2019d forgiven that family member or that former friend or that cantankerous co-worker, but every time you think of that person, a little tinge of \u201cickiness\u201d fills your heart. Wouldn\u2019t you love to get rid of those feelings? Wouldn\u2019t you love to live free from that hurt and replace it with God\u2019s joy and peace?<\/p>\n
You can if you are willing to offer forgiveness.<\/p>\n
You might say, \u201cBut that person isn\u2019t even sorry!\u201d That\u2019s okay. That person doesn\u2019t have to be sorry in order for you to forgive. In fact, that person doesn\u2019t even have to be alive for you to offer forgiveness.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re still harboring hurt over harsh words your late mother said to you or you\u2019re still suffering in your soul from abuse you experienced at the hands of a late relative, it\u2019s time to choose forgiveness.<\/p>\n
Some grief experts even suggest writing a letter to that person, saying everything you always wanted to say but never had the opportunity to share, reading it out loud, writing \u201cI forgive you\u201d over the top of your letter in bold letters, and then shredding it or burning it. While that might seem pointless to you, it\u2019s not. It\u2019s an act of faith and a step toward the restoration of your heart.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to feel it\u2014just forgive by faith. God will help you. Forgiving someone doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019re condoning his or her inexcusable behavior; it just means that you\u2019re courageous enough to forgive and move forward.<\/p>\n
I know from experience that when you give the gift of forgiveness, you\u2019ll receive gifts, too\u2014freedom, love, joy, peace and more!<\/p>\n
I hope you\u2019ll let Jesus fill your heart today so that there is no room for any hurt. And, I hope that you\u2019ll have a very Merry Christmas Season and the Happiest New Year ever!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cThen Peter came to Jesus and asked, \u2018Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?\u2019Jesus answered, \u2018I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.\u2019\u201d (Matthew 18:21\u201322) Christmas is the time of year when we do a lot giving\u2014presents to our friends and family, time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":117,"featured_media":28911,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[72,80],"ppma_author":[487],"class_list":["post-20486","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-positive-living","tag-stories-of-faith","tag-stories-of-hope"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n