Pat looked at the old lady in front of him. She suffers from arthritis and he had already prayed three times for her but nothing happened. He then asked her, “Tell me, is there anyone in your life that you have not forgiven?”
“No, Pat, there’s nobody that I can remember that I had any problems with whom I was unable to forgive. I’m living in peace with everyone around me.”
The Spirit must have revealed something to Pat because he insisted, “Now, tell me once again, what about your husband?”
“Oh no! That doesn’t count does it?”
Pat did not tell us what happened in the end but the fact is that forgiveness is the most important task we as Christians have. It is probably the single most valid reason for not having our prayers answered.
In one of the previous postcards, I shared with you how Jesus told me early one morning to forgive my wife for everything she had done to me. A few hours later she was admitted for an emergency operation.
After the operation the doctor told me that her situation was nothing less than a miracle, one that might not have taken place without forgiveness being involved.
I discovered yet another aspect of forgiveness. We tend to forgive everyone around us who has wronged us by telling them verbally or in our minds, “It is fine, I forgive you.”
One person we usually neglect to forgive is that good looking person you notice when you look into the mirror every day. It might feel a bit awkward but next time you look into the mirror tell yourself, “Hey (you), I forgive you.”
Every memory reminding you about your sins, mistakes, wrong decisions, failed relationships or whatever you wrongfully have done, tell that person you call, Me, “I forgive you,” because Jesus already has. Who are you not to forgive yourself?
My grandma always closed her letters with, “Greetings to everyone and do not forget yourself.”
I close this postcard with the same words, “Greetings and do not forget to always forgive yourself!”