What is forgiveness?
By Moriah E.
Have you imagined what the world would be like without forgiveness? I can tell you it would be horrible! Imagine people fighting on your left and your right. Imagine you and your friend not being able to get along for five seconds without fighting and arguing. That isn’t half of what the world would be like without forgiveness. To forgive means, to pardon or absolve, to give up resentment of, or to grant relief from a payment1.Forgiveness means so many things to different people, but this is what forgiveness means to me.
There are countless books in the Bible about forgiveness. You probably know about Moses and his brother Ramasey. How much did Moses forgave his brother for not letting go of the Israelites? Think of how Moses forgave Ramasey for being stubborn, for bringing death upon his family and the people in his land and for being a very bad person. Moses forgave his brother for all of that. Ask yourself “Would I have forgiven Ramasey if he were my brother?”
There are so many people who are forgiving. For example there might be someone in your household that forgave you for breaking something of theirs or for hurting them. I can tell you of a few in my life, my grandparents! My grandmother forgave me for accidently pitching a softball into her head, when I was still learning to play. I have a little sister who has forgiven me for many things. Sometimes we get in arguments with each other, but we always forgive each other because we love each other. My pastors at my church are very forgiving. They forgive bad language and bad behavior. My youth pastors ask for forgiveness even when they are teaching us.
There are a couple of people who have taught me forgiveness. My parents! They forgive me for so many things, like hurting them or breaking something of theirs. My parents are awesome forgivers and I hope yours are too. Parents and grandparents are very forgiving in my family and I love them very much for that.
So you see, forgiving is so much more than letting go of a grudge or just resolving the problem. Forgiving is the love you have for that person you are willing to forgive. That is what forgiveness means in my life, it has shaped me into the kind of person that I always want to be. ______________________________________________________________________________
1 Merriam-Webster Inc., 1989. The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary, p. 297.
By Moriah E.
Have you imagined what the world would be like without forgiveness? I can tell you it would be horrible! Imagine people fighting on your left and your right. Imagine you and your friend not being able to get along for five seconds without fighting and arguing. That isn’t half of what the world would be like without forgiveness. To forgive means, to pardon or absolve, to give up resentment of, or to grant relief from a payment1.Forgiveness means so many things to different people, but this is what forgiveness means to me.
There are countless books in the Bible about forgiveness. You probably know about Moses and his brother Ramasey. How much did Moses forgave his brother for not letting go of the Israelites? Think of how Moses forgave Ramasey for being stubborn, for bringing death upon his family and the people in his land and for being a very bad person. Moses forgave his brother for all of that. Ask yourself “Would I have forgiven Ramasey if he were my brother?”
There are so many people who are forgiving. For example there might be someone in your household that forgave you for breaking something of theirs or for hurting them. I can tell you of a few in my life, my grandparents! My grandmother forgave me for accidently pitching a softball into her head, when I was still learning to play. I have a little sister who has forgiven me for many things. Sometimes we get in arguments with each other, but we always forgive each other because we love each other. My pastors at my church are very forgiving. They forgive bad language and bad behavior. My youth pastors ask for forgiveness even when they are teaching us.
There are a couple of people who have taught me forgiveness. My parents! They forgive me for so many things, like hurting them or breaking something of theirs. My parents are awesome forgivers and I hope yours are too. Parents and grandparents are very forgiving in my family and I love them very much for that.
So you see, forgiving is so much more than letting go of a grudge or just resolving the problem. Forgiving is the love you have for that person you are willing to forgive. That is what forgiveness means in my life, it has shaped me into the kind of person that I always want to be. ______________________________________________________________________________
1 Merriam-Webster Inc., 1989. The New Merriam-Webster Dictionary, p. 297.