Forgiveness

The latest theme seems to be forgiveness. Leslie at the Insomniac:
http://theinsomniac.blogs.com/the_insomniac/
Has a post on forgiveness.
http://theinsomniac.blogs.com/the_insomniac/2005/12/forgiveness.html
Last night, I had a long conversation with a woman who knows someone who was molested. She can't forgive the man who did it, and it poisons her relationship with God.

We seem to have a hard time with forgiveness, both doing it, and even understanding it. A book that is very helpful in understanding forgiveness is by Debbie Morris. She was a victim of the man who was the central focus of dead man walking. Robert Willie (the man portrayed in the movie by Sean Penn), raped her, and killed her boyfriend. She testified against him. Willie threatened that if he ever got out, he would kill her. On the night he was executed, Morris forgave him. In her book, on page 173, she writes about forgiving the killer on his execution night.

"With that prayer pronouncing my forgiveness of Robert Willie, I gained an
emotional release, a sense of freedom I don't know how to describe. Somehow
it cut me loose from the control Robert Willie had over me for all those
years.".

For Morris, forgiveness isn't some abstract concept. She realizes and explains in her book, that forgiveness is essential to be healed from what happened. If you can find the book, read it. At 251 pages, it is helpful in understanding the power of forgiveness. The last line in her book says "Justice didn't do a thing to heal me. Forgiveness did.

A poem on forgiveness.
Taking Offense
You take offense.
Refuse to forgive.
You’re seduced by,
the Devil’s bait.
How can I forgive,
if you refuse to forgive?
So sanctimonious,
you refuse to admit,
you sin by failing,
to forgive.
Offended,
you turn from Me.

Your soul hates,
stores up anger.
Anger corrodes,
spiritual connection.
Forgive those,
who don’t know,
they’ve caused pain,
so you can be healed.
Don’t seek revenge.
Forgive & be healed.
Forgive & let,
My grace flow.
(Ephesians 4: 1-8)
© Presbypoet, February 17, 2002

Is there someone you need to forgive? Do you need to ask for forgiveness?