Sunday, September 13, 2009

On Forgiveness


I recently found this quote from C.S. Lewis (famous Christian writer) regarding forgiveness, and why it is so important to cultivate it in ourselves, and other virtues like it. He said:

"Remember, we Christians think man lives forever. Therefore, what really matters is those little marks or twists on the central, inside part of the soul which are going to turn it, in the long run, into a heavenly or hellish creature. We may kill if necessary but we must not hate and enjoy hating. We may punish if necessary, but we must not enjoy it. In other words something inside us, the feeling of resentment, the feeling that wants to get one’s own back, must simply be killed."

Humbling to think that what we do in this life can reflect in such detail that higher form of life in heaven to which we are all called. Holding grudges is popular and widespread, and even sometimes gratifying. But then why are we gratified? What part of ourselves are we feeding? The heavenly part or the hellish part?

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1 comment:

  1. Jon,

    Thank you for visiting my blog site and leaving a comment. Much appreciated!

    You are right about forgiveness. When we hold a grudge, or hate someone, really, we are only hurting ourselves. Since the body, mind and spirit are connected, holding onto a grudge or holding hatred in your heart can affect your mind, emotional well-being, and your body as well. You can actually become physically ill from it if enough hatred is held onto. People that are full of hate are not happy people. So, forgiving others is not only necessary for the Christian to become more Christ-like, but it is also necessary for our own well-being.

    ReplyDelete

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