Forgiveness is a foretaste of heaven.
It was the month of November, a couple of weeks after I had attended a Christian camp. During one of the forenoon sessions during the camp, one of the speakers spoke about forgiveness. It was an interesting and spirit-filled session and I felt a stir in my heart. He used a number of interesting anecdotes to emphasize on the importance and joy of complete forgiveness. One of the most important lessons I learnt that day was to say 'sorry'. Till then, I thought that if I had hard feelings for someone and I just forgive that person with my whole heart, it was ok. That day I realized that if anyone hurts us, we unknowingly and unwillingly hurt them as well. To explain this in a better way let me tell you a hypothetical incident.
Suppose your parents scold you for unapparent reasons. Maybe you are not wrong and yet you are grounded for a week or may be a month. It seems to you that your parents have wronged you. You are hurt, sad and angry. Now, what do you do? You don't talk to them and in case you talk, you are rude and vehement. So, though unwillingly and unknowingly, you hurt them back.
That day the speaker enunciated on the importance of complete forgiveness by forgiving those who have hurt you and at the same time seeking their forgiveness for having hurt them as well. He said, "If you have really forgiven someone you would like to be friends again. You would go that extra mile to tell them that you have forgiven them and you hope that they would forgive you too. You won't let them keep feeling guilty when you have already forgiven them." That day he encouraged and challenged us to forgive and be forgiven. During the session I took up a resolution to practise what I had learnt that day. I pledged that after the camp gets over I would call up people I was not in good terms with and tell them that I was sorry and that I love them.
The camp got over and it was time to get real and practical. I made up a list and tried collecting their phone numbers. Almost two weeks had gone by and I hadn't started calling people. On top of the list were my parents. I tried. I talked to them every single day but I couldn't get myself to say 'Sorry'. While I made the resolution during the camp it appeared pretty simple. I thought 'how is it going to be difficult? We say 'sorry' all the time. When we bump into people accidentally, we say sorry. If we step into someone's toes, we say sorry. It's easy.' Well, that's what I thought. But when I tried saying it with full conviction, I was incapable.
It was the month of November, a couple of weeks after I had attended a Christian camp. I decided that no matter what, today I had to do it. With great difficulty I called my parents. My heart began to pound faster and faster within my chest with each ring. My mother answered the call.
"Hello!"
"Hello, mom. It's me."
"O' sure. How are you?"
"I am fine. And how about you and dad?"
"We are fine too. So why did you call up so late at night?" I felt my heart beat near my throat.
"Oh, that. Actually, I want to know how to prepare steamed fish." I don't know why I did that but that was the only thing that came to my mind.
"Why do you need a recipe now, you don't even cook in the hostel?" I didn't think she would say that. However, I braced myself and said, "No, no. It's not for me. It's for a friend. She called me up and asked for it."
My mother started telling me the ingredients and the procedure for cooking. But my mind started hovering. I asked myself, "Why am I listening to some recipe I don't even want to know about instead of telling her the reason why I called?" Strange though it may seem, precisely at that moment I don't know from where but I got the courage to speak.
"Mom," I interrupted her, "I didn't call for the recipe. I called because it's been quite some time that I wanted to tell something to you and dad. I want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter how rude and bad I may appear at times but I love you more than anything in this world. I really do. And I know, many a times I have felt hurt by what you tell me and the decisions that you make for me but I have realized that you do it because you care for me and you have my best interests in your mind. I am very sorry for all the times I have hurt you and I hope that you can forgive me."
There was absolute silence for a while. Tears were pouring down my cheeks and I bit my lips to prevent them from quivering. After what seemed like an eternity I heard a stifled sob. I knew my mom was crying too. She said, "We love you very much and no matter what you do we won't ever stop loving you because you are our child." Perhaps that was all I wanted to hear. I cried like a baby. I shared the same thing with my father. I don't know whether he cried or not but he too said that he loves me.
That night I slept like a log. I felt very peaceful. I felt alive and loved and cared for. I realised what the speaker had meant when he spoke about forgiveness for I could feel the joy of forgiveness within me.
If this story moves you to call someone and forgive completely, do not hesitate. You will have a peaceful night sleep and you will feel the joy of forgiveness bubbling within you. Someone rightly said "Forgiveness is a foretaste of heaven".
Short story by Amy Valentina
Read 895 times
Written on 2012-10-19 at 14:37
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MY RECIPE EXCUSE
It was the month of November, a couple of weeks after I had attended a Christian camp. During one of the forenoon sessions during the camp, one of the speakers spoke about forgiveness. It was an interesting and spirit-filled session and I felt a stir in my heart. He used a number of interesting anecdotes to emphasize on the importance and joy of complete forgiveness. One of the most important lessons I learnt that day was to say 'sorry'. Till then, I thought that if I had hard feelings for someone and I just forgive that person with my whole heart, it was ok. That day I realized that if anyone hurts us, we unknowingly and unwillingly hurt them as well. To explain this in a better way let me tell you a hypothetical incident.
Suppose your parents scold you for unapparent reasons. Maybe you are not wrong and yet you are grounded for a week or may be a month. It seems to you that your parents have wronged you. You are hurt, sad and angry. Now, what do you do? You don't talk to them and in case you talk, you are rude and vehement. So, though unwillingly and unknowingly, you hurt them back.
That day the speaker enunciated on the importance of complete forgiveness by forgiving those who have hurt you and at the same time seeking their forgiveness for having hurt them as well. He said, "If you have really forgiven someone you would like to be friends again. You would go that extra mile to tell them that you have forgiven them and you hope that they would forgive you too. You won't let them keep feeling guilty when you have already forgiven them." That day he encouraged and challenged us to forgive and be forgiven. During the session I took up a resolution to practise what I had learnt that day. I pledged that after the camp gets over I would call up people I was not in good terms with and tell them that I was sorry and that I love them.
The camp got over and it was time to get real and practical. I made up a list and tried collecting their phone numbers. Almost two weeks had gone by and I hadn't started calling people. On top of the list were my parents. I tried. I talked to them every single day but I couldn't get myself to say 'Sorry'. While I made the resolution during the camp it appeared pretty simple. I thought 'how is it going to be difficult? We say 'sorry' all the time. When we bump into people accidentally, we say sorry. If we step into someone's toes, we say sorry. It's easy.' Well, that's what I thought. But when I tried saying it with full conviction, I was incapable.
It was the month of November, a couple of weeks after I had attended a Christian camp. I decided that no matter what, today I had to do it. With great difficulty I called my parents. My heart began to pound faster and faster within my chest with each ring. My mother answered the call.
"Hello!"
"Hello, mom. It's me."
"O' sure. How are you?"
"I am fine. And how about you and dad?"
"We are fine too. So why did you call up so late at night?" I felt my heart beat near my throat.
"Oh, that. Actually, I want to know how to prepare steamed fish." I don't know why I did that but that was the only thing that came to my mind.
"Why do you need a recipe now, you don't even cook in the hostel?" I didn't think she would say that. However, I braced myself and said, "No, no. It's not for me. It's for a friend. She called me up and asked for it."
My mother started telling me the ingredients and the procedure for cooking. But my mind started hovering. I asked myself, "Why am I listening to some recipe I don't even want to know about instead of telling her the reason why I called?" Strange though it may seem, precisely at that moment I don't know from where but I got the courage to speak.
"Mom," I interrupted her, "I didn't call for the recipe. I called because it's been quite some time that I wanted to tell something to you and dad. I want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter how rude and bad I may appear at times but I love you more than anything in this world. I really do. And I know, many a times I have felt hurt by what you tell me and the decisions that you make for me but I have realized that you do it because you care for me and you have my best interests in your mind. I am very sorry for all the times I have hurt you and I hope that you can forgive me."
There was absolute silence for a while. Tears were pouring down my cheeks and I bit my lips to prevent them from quivering. After what seemed like an eternity I heard a stifled sob. I knew my mom was crying too. She said, "We love you very much and no matter what you do we won't ever stop loving you because you are our child." Perhaps that was all I wanted to hear. I cried like a baby. I shared the same thing with my father. I don't know whether he cried or not but he too said that he loves me.
That night I slept like a log. I felt very peaceful. I felt alive and loved and cared for. I realised what the speaker had meant when he spoke about forgiveness for I could feel the joy of forgiveness within me.
If this story moves you to call someone and forgive completely, do not hesitate. You will have a peaceful night sleep and you will feel the joy of forgiveness bubbling within you. Someone rightly said "Forgiveness is a foretaste of heaven".
Short story by Amy Valentina
Read 895 times
Written on 2012-10-19 at 14:37
Save as a bookmark (requires login) Write a comment (requires login) Send as email (requires login) Print text| Texts |
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