Forgiveness

At church on Sunday the pastor has been going through 1 Corinthians 13 - love.  I feel like I've heard the "love" services plenty of times, but he presents it so different.  I feel like I can relate...and learn a lot for the friendships and relationships I have now and in the future.  He has been going through each aspect of love.

So far I've been there for this much:

"Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful, or proud, or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged." 1 Cor. 13:4-5

Two parts have stuck out to me the most.  Last week we talked about verse 4. He talked about how love is not irritable.  The pastor said that in order to not be irritable you have to develop thick skin.  That one probably hit me the hardest.  It's not as hard when someone who isn't close to you hurts you because they may not know much about you. But when it's a person who's opinion you value, that's when it hurts the most.  The pastor said that when it's a person you value, then you should really look into why they are saying something.  It may hurt but that can also help you grow.

This past Sunday he talked about verse 5 and not keeping a record of wrongs. It's easy to say you forgive someone.  But it doesn't always mean that you do.  Just because you forgive someone does not mean that you are saying what they did was okay.  I like to try and brush things off.  I have a hard time with forgiveness though.  I say that I forgive but it's still always in the back of my mind.  It's something I have to work on.

I've been reading stories from the Forgiveness Project today and it's just incredible to read how much these people forgive, even when it's the hardest thing to do.  I want to have that kind of forgiveness.

http://theforgivenessproject.com/stories/