#Pastor rick warren on forgiveness full
#Pastor rick warren on forgiveness free

So, how exactly can we consciously pursue forgiveness? Not only does forgiveness change the title of your story, it changes the ending as well. Friend, we can allow our husbands’ little shortcomings to become the title of our story, or we can forgive and write a new storyline. The word title was a typo - she meant to type little. She wrote, “Please pray that God mends this title piece of my heart that has fallen to the ground.” She and her husband were preparing to celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and she was dreading it because of his careless words a decade before. I recently received an email from a woman who was still bitter over a statement her husband made to her cousin ten years ago. Forgiveness is no longer holding the offense against the offender. When you forgive your husband, you cancel his debt, which he never could’ve paid back anyway.

#Pastor rick warren on forgiveness full

That is what Jesus did when He was nailed to the Cross - our debt was paid in full and nailed to Heaven’s door. In the Old Testament, when someone paid a debt, a notice of the debt paid in full was nailed to the lender’s door.

#Pastor rick warren on forgiveness free

When we forgive, we cut the person loose from our backs and set ourselves free as well.įorgiveness can also be seen in terms of canceling a debt. When we refuse to forgive, we bind ourselves to what we hate. This word picture is one in which the unforgiven is roped to the back of the unforgiving. 2īiblical forgiveness means cutting someone loose. We can live in the same house, eat the same meals, take the same trips, and raise the same children, but without forgiveness we will live just short of true intimacy of the heart, never quite free to be soul naked and unashamed.įorgiveness, when we look at it from the Greek perspective with the word aphiemi, means “to let go from one’s power, possession, to let go free, let escape.

The Gottman Institute, a research-based relationship organization, noted, “The capacity to seek and grant forgiveness is one of the most significant factors contributing to marital satisfaction and a lifetime of love.” 1 Without forgiveness, we will never be able to have a healthy thriving marriage. On the other hand, unforgiveness blocks intimacy on an emotional and physical level. It’s often the sandpaper of chafing personalities, unmet expectations, and hurt feelings that rub us the wrong way and leave us feeling rather raw.īeing able to forgive past offenses and let go of past hurts is an essential component for growing a strong marriage and maintaining an intimate relationship that lasts a lifetime. It doesn’t take very long for a couple to figure out that marriage isn’t a continuously fun and easy ride, a big bundle of happy days tied up with a sparkly bow of hugs and kisses.