This picture seems no relevancy to the blog post today. But it's in every way relevant, you would probably be troubled - to be or not to be, to forgive or not to forgive.The Borneo Post team has given a caption to this picture this way -
TEARS OF PEACE: Christians shed tears as they pray for peace at one of the churches bombed by arsonists.
Read the story here
I was having lunch at a coffee shop behind my office - the fried Bee Hoon. While waiting for the food, my boss called. He asked where I was. Then he mused that we talked after the lunch because the conversation may cause some indigestion.
What caused indigestion turned out to be an "public apology notice" published in a local Chinese newspaper. It read,
Apology notice
I, xxx wish to apologize to my wife, xxx for being unfaithful to her on my act. I now know that I am wrong and wish to apologize to her.
The person offering apology: xxx
The person accepting apology: xxx
Date: xxx
Has the husband been forgiven? I doubt.
Forgiveness is something few of us understand well. We have grown up with the idea that you forgive people only after they apologized.
However, that is not biblical forgiveness. Few broken relationships would ever be restored and reconciled if forgiveness began only after an apology had been offered. Biblical forgiveness begins before the offender comes to you with an apology.
Remember the story told by Jesus of the prodigal son? That's a perfect example of forgiveness. The prodigal son left his father and went to a faraway land. He spend all that he had received from his father. Then he returned broken and humbled. The father received him with love, acceptance and forgiveness and threw a party in his honour!
That is forgiveness - even before a single word of apology is said.
What caused indigestion turned out to be an "public apology notice" published in a local Chinese newspaper. It read,
Apology notice
I, xxx wish to apologize to my wife, xxx for being unfaithful to her on my act. I now know that I am wrong and wish to apologize to her.
The person offering apology: xxx
The person accepting apology: xxx
Date: xxx
Has the husband been forgiven? I doubt.
Forgiveness is something few of us understand well. We have grown up with the idea that you forgive people only after they apologized.
However, that is not biblical forgiveness. Few broken relationships would ever be restored and reconciled if forgiveness began only after an apology had been offered. Biblical forgiveness begins before the offender comes to you with an apology.
Remember the story told by Jesus of the prodigal son? That's a perfect example of forgiveness. The prodigal son left his father and went to a faraway land. He spend all that he had received from his father. Then he returned broken and humbled. The father received him with love, acceptance and forgiveness and threw a party in his honour!
That is forgiveness - even before a single word of apology is said.
4 comments:
The bombing of the churches is really crazy...People are getting out of hands. Hope they can think straight and stop these violence acts.
Yup, shouldn't do it in the first place when you know it is wrong and ask for apology after that.
This is a very significant time for Christians to rise above all chaos.
turn the left cheek?
Pray for forgiveness?>
Non Violence?
what would Jesus have done? That would be the right question.
I pray that all will be resolved so that our country would be able to boast of the peaceful and harmonius multi-racial image at all times.
Good posting.
Amazing. Thank you for making me understand what forgiveness truly means. :)
Yan,
Wonderful sharing. Suddenly realised the truth of it. I always think to forgive people
means that time will heal the hurt and wound so then I forgive, No, forgiveness should be when not a single word of
apology is said.
ngusc
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