Participants: Jill Morikone
Series Code: HLFT
Program Code: HLFT000004B
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00:01 Welcome back.
00:02 We're discussing forgiveness today. 00:04 How do we forgive? 00:05 How do we let go of those hurts inside us? 00:08 Corrie ten Boom tells a story, 1947, in Germany. 00:13 This is right after World War II. 00:16 If you are familiar at all 00:17 with the story of Corrie ten Boom, 00:18 she was from Holland, she was Dutch 00:21 and she and her family had hidden Jewish people 00:25 during World War II, during the Nazi regime. 00:28 And because of that, 00:30 they were thrown into concentration camps, 00:34 Ravensbruck. 00:35 Her sister, Betsie, 00:37 died in that concentration camp. 00:40 Fast forward to 1947, she was speaking at a church 00:44 and she said at the end of the meeting, 00:47 she was shaking hands with people 00:49 who came up to her. 00:50 She said that she was talking on forgiveness 00:52 and the Love of God. 00:54 And this tall gentleman came up at the end and he said, 00:57 "I'm so glad to know that God has forgiven me 01:02 and has casts my sins into the depths of the sea." 01:04 And he extended his hand toward her. 01:07 She said, in an instant, the scene shifted in her head 01:13 and she was back in a gray room with harsh over headlights. 01:18 She was seeing this man in an SS officer's uniform. 01:22 He was one of the guards at Ravensbruck. 01:25 He was one of the men she had had to walk naked past. 01:30 Her sister Betsie, died in the concentration camp. 01:33 And she said, I just spoke on forgiveness, 01:36 but I cannot forgive this man. 01:40 And she said, she fumbled in her pocket book 01:42 instead of reaching out to shake his hand. 01:44 Well, he mentioned again about forgiveness, 01:48 "I'm so glad to know God has forgiven me" 01:50 and he extended his hand to her again. 01:52 He obviously didn't remember her. 01:54 There were thousands of women in that concentration camp, 01:58 but for her that pain was fresh. 02:01 She said I made a choice. 02:02 Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. 02:05 She said I made a choice, I extended my hand toward him. 02:10 And as I did, I felt electricity, 02:13 a rush of warmth come down my fingers and I said 02:16 "Yes, I do forgive you my brother!" 02:22 Years later, Corrie tells another story about 02:25 some friends who had hurt her 02:27 and how she had to forgive them. 02:29 She said she had forgiven them, but she couldn't forget. 02:34 She couldn't forget the pain that they had caused. 02:37 She had many sleepless nights over this 02:39 not being able to forgive them. 02:42 And finally, she went to a minister and she said, 02:46 "I can't forget, I think I've forgiven, 02:49 but I cannot forgive what these people did to her." 02:52 And he said, "Do you know what a bell is like?" 02:55 And she said "yeah." He said "a church bell?" 02:57 I have an itty-bitty bell here. 03:00 This is one my husband Greg gave to me. 03:02 But he is talking about the big type of bell 03:05 that you would pull a rope and it rings. 03:08 He said, "The longer you pull on the rope, 03:11 it's going to take a while 03:12 even when you let go off the rope." 03:15 It takes a while for the bell to slowly stop ringing. 03:19 There is a ding and a dong 03:21 and maybe a ding and dong and then it's still. 03:26 She said that was the same in her experience. 03:30 She had forgiven. 03:31 God had released her, but it took a while, 03:34 a few dings and dongs for the old bell to stop ringing. 03:39 I don't know what pain you have in your heart. 03:42 I don't know what unforgiveness, 03:44 bitterness is bottled up inside. 03:47 I'd encourage you. 03:48 I have her forgiveness worksheet here 03:50 in front of me, but I'd encourage you 03:52 to write down who do I need to forgive. 03:55 Identify who you need to forgive 03:57 and then choose to process the steps of forgiveness 04:02 that we've been discussing here today. 04:04 Choose to pray and ask God for his forgiveness. 04:07 Choose to radically, 04:09 consistently pray for the person 04:12 who hurt you. 04:13 Choose to surrender the desire for revenge. 04:17 Choose to process those steps 04:19 and tell God brings about a change 04:21 in your heart and life, 04:23 and tell the ding and the dong of the old bell 04:27 is quiet once again. 04:30 You know that we will be praying for you 04:31 that God can bring you healing, freedom and deliverance. 04:35 Our next program is our last dealing 04:38 with forgiveness. 04:39 This is what if we've hurt someone else? 04:42 What do we need to do to ask forgiveness 04:45 and to reach out and do that with someone else? 04:48 Our closing scripture is Romans 15:13. 04:51 "Now, may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace 04:54 in believing that you may abound in hope 04:56 by the power of the Holy Spirit." |
Revised 2018-09-12