Forgiving Insanity: The Key to Surviving Bipolar Disorder - Page 3
Obviously, my fundamental concept of forgiveness was flawed, so I studied the principle and here's what I found:
• Forgiveness is for the forgiver, not for the person
being forgiven. It's to heal and release the forgiver
from their prison of resentment and bitterness.
• Forgiveness isn't easy and it's not a one shot deal.
If the offense happened more than once, the forgiveness
needs to happen more than once. "Then Peter came to
Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive
my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven
times?” Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times,
but seventy-seven times." (Mathew 18:21-22 NIV)
• Forgiveness is a true, inner change of the heart toward
the person who offended you. Just saying the words, 'I
forgive you,' won't cut it.
Once I realized and embraced this new found concept, I worked on releasing my hurt. It took effort, it took time. Bitterness can be hard to shake. Mine had built up for years and was holding on with both hands, both legs and a few toes.
A year and a half has passed since I discovered the key to forgiveness. Do I still struggle with letting go of the hurt and pain? Yes, I do. At times do I feel that forgiving seven times seventy is too much? You bet. In my mind two squared is plenty. But therein lies the problem.
Continued on the next page
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