Freedom from forgiveness
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” (NIV) Romans 12:19-20
One of the most impressive autobiographies I have read is Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom.
This was a man who was tagged as a terrorist by the colonialist of his country because he adopted guerrilla warfare to exact vengeance on the people who were trying to take over his beloved country.
Having been incarcerated for 27 years, one might think he will come out of prison a worse version of himself but to the utmost surprise of his countrymen and the world, he preached forgiveness.
Just take a moment and ponder on the words on this preacher of forgiveness.
“You will achieve more in this world through acts of mercy than you will through acts of retribution.”
“Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will kill your enemies."
“No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin, or his background, or his religion. They must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.” – Long Walk to Freedom (1995)
May God help us all to develop the Spirit of forgiveness. Amen!