A book I am reading (Real Marriage) boils down what choices we have when we have been sinned against. 1) Forgiveness 2) Bitterness
"How did God forgive believers in Christ? We caused Him to suffer unjustly, and He received it without bitterness, forgave us, pursued us, and wants good for us. This means that if I accept God's forgiveness of my sins but refuse to forgive my spouse of his or her sins, I am in effect saying by my actions that my spouse's sin against me is worse than my sin against God."
"Like a tree, the Bible tells us, bitterness has roots (Heb 12:15). Consequentley we can saw away at our frustrations, angers, hurts, and sadness, but unless we dig up our roots of bitterness, it only returns, sometimes bigger than ever. The only alternative to forgiveness is bitterness. And the only alternative to bitterness is forgiveness."
Which - especially with the people we love more than any others on this earth - will we choose?
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1 comment:
I like the idea of taking responsibility for our reactions. Often, we blame the other person for the original action and forget that we do have a choice to make. In regards to marriage, I hope that there are not too many opportunities early on to establish bitterness, or you might have married the wrong person!
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