Thought for the Week: Forgiveness
Mark Humphries reflects on forgiveness
We all know of early Friends who served sentences in prison; and we know of those who were involved with prison reform. I am grateful for the continued ministry of Quakers in prison. I want to share some of what goes on in our group.
Forgiveness became a recent discussion topic, which we then took into our time of silent worship. A Friend told us how he found it hard to forgive, especially those who bully and abuse. He expanded on this by telling us that the issue is particularly difficult when it concerns people who should be trusted. I might not have agreed with one of his prominent comments: ‘Christians find it so easy to forgive’, but I let him have that thought.
Several of us were able to comment on this, and talked about how we forgive those who trespass against us. I hoped we, as a brotherhood, would help our Friend. To forgive is a verb; it needs us to do something. To forgive means we have to take a step towards the Light of our Father.
Forgive is made up of two words: FOR and GIVE. ‘For’ means ‘in relation to‘ and ‘give’ means ‘to hand over’. To forgive, we must hand over whatever it is in relation to what has hurt or trespasses against us. For me, and our group, this meant something deeper than the overused phrase ‘let go and let God’.
I found one aspect of our discussion powerful as we made our way to the silent waiting on God. It was about the linking of forgiveness and love. To be able to forgive is an act of love. Love in this context is not our emotion but an act of our will. The picture of a pond was brought to the group. If that pond is not able to release some of its water there is a chance it will go stagnant.
If we cannot let out some love and forgiveness to others then there will be no room for ‘a refreshing’ in our lives. This, in turn, means that our lives and journeys become stagnant. I am prompted to consider Quaker faith & practice 21.07, where we are reminded of our imperfections. Let all of us see our own imperfections and grittiness as we balance on the stepping-stones that lead us to God.
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