Friday, September 30, 2011

To Forgive Is to Set a Prisoner Free and Discover the Prisoner Was You

Meredith was surprised to find a letter in her mailbox from her brother, Tim.  It had been three years since she had spoken to him, even though they lived in the same town.  In the letter, Tim told her he and his wife were expecting twins and he hoped she would come to visit the babies after they were born.  He expressed his sorrow that they had not communicated more, and apologized for whatever it was he had done to cause them to be estranged.

Meredith's initial reaction was one of anger.  "Whatever it was?"  Didn't he know?  She immediately sat down and wrote a five-page letter detailing all the wrongs Tim had committed that hurt her.  The phone rang, however, before she could put her letter in an envelope, and it was several hours before she returned to her writing desk.  Upon rereading her letter, she was horrified at what she found.

She had thought she was being very matter of fact, but her words were full of anger and pain.  Tears of forgiveness filler her eyes.  Perhaps it wasn't all Tim's fault. 

She called him the next day to say, "I can hardly wait to be the aunt of twins!"

For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Matthew 6:14,15

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