Canceling a debt & Valleys

What is forgiveness? 

Forgiveness means not to dwell on the sin that was forgiven to the offender. It is a promise not to raise the issue again to the offender, or to others or himself or herself. Even ‘brooding on the issue’ is a violation of the promise made in granting forgiveness to the offender.

A definition for forgiveness could be -- giving up my right to hurt you, for hurting me. It is impossible to live on this fallen planet without getting hurt, offended, misunderstood, lied to, and rejected. Learning how to respond properly is one of the basics of the Christian life.¹

The word “forgive” means to wipe the slate clean, to pardon, to cancel a debt. When we wrong someone, we seek his or her forgiveness in order for the relationship to be restored. It is important to remember that forgiveness is not granted because a person deserves to be forgiven. Instead, it is an act of love, mercy, and grace.²

Valleys 

Most of us understand that valleys and hardships are part of life, and the question here is can God use these valleys to develop character in our lives? It is also very easy to encourage and teach someone to stand firm, and to move forward with a hope when they are in a valley, unless we are in a valley and we realize to be in a valley is so hard! Sometimes if we do not have a clear perspective this can distort our thinking in many ways:

·         This can distort our perception of God, and also distorts our relationship with Him.

·         Our walk as a Christian can be boring, tired and without enthusiasm.

·         We can lose sight of wanting to grow spiritually and we may become complacent.

·         We may lose sight that only in trials God teaches our hands to war for a victorious life.