We are told in the Bible that we can only receive forgiveness if we also give it. In the Lord's prayer we read."forgive us our trespasses (sins) as we forgive them who trespass(sin) against us." The very important word in this sentence is "as." It may be a very little word but it shows what the condition is for receiving forgiveness. If we don't forgive we shut ourselves off from receiving forgiveness. Forgiving is not easy. It doesn't give you a glowing feeling inside. It is hard work and is an act of will. Once you have decided to forgive you will still feel uncomfortable. You don't need to feel you have forgiven, you just need to do it and to proove you have done it your behaviour, towards the one you are forgiving, will be shown in your attitude and actions toward them. It will take time to feel the benefits yourself, but at least you will know now that you too can be forgiven.
I have written in previous posts about disasters. In the case of Concorde, decisions by people, plus other factors were directly to blame for the event. In the case of the Penlee disaster it may have been avoided if someone had made a better choice in the time beforehand and as a consequence brave men and the ship's crew and the captain and his family died. 9/11 was certainly the result of wicked men committing a terrorist act, but even in this there was heroism notably by another Cornish man, Rick Rescorla who helped many to safety and left it too late to help himself. In situations like this we see what the human spirit is capable of both good and evil. What of disasters that come on people because of the earth restless movement of tectonic plates. Often people live near volcanoes because the land is rich and fertile and they have the chance of a better life there when the volcano is resting. We cannot blame them for that but sometimes people become complacent...
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