tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7575135911772470045.post7365627180855036531..comments2022-04-05T16:01:53.529-07:00Comments on St. Francis Speaks . . .: Being forgiven and forgiving others are two sides of the same coin - purchasing peace, harmony and unity in the family of God.brother Joseph, SFOhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10919883439810860642noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7575135911772470045.post-70746821396139179172009-08-17T08:48:27.168-07:002009-08-17T08:48:27.168-07:00What you say is true brother Marv. Only God can t...What you say is true brother Marv. Only God can truly forgive and when He forgives it is as if it never happened in the first place.<br /><br />I also appreciated what you said about 'not bringing it up'. I have forgiven everyone everything as far I can recall and yet, at times, what someone has done to me 'comes up' and the old feelings of sorrow, anger and even a touch of bitterness come up. At those times I remind myself that I have forgiven and force it out of my mind, asking for God's help. So, in a way, at those times, I must forgive again and place my wounded heart in God's hands. It seems like a never ending process!<br />I also like what you say about giving the other person control. But what do you do when you've asked forgiveness, tried to make amends, and they won't? I surrender it all to the God who ultimately must join his forgiveness to that of the other and who also can overide them and forgive me anyway. It doesn't relieve me of the obligation to try my best to get forgiveness from the other but it does provide ultimate forgiveness and salvation. God is good and it was very good to hear from you!brother Joseph, SFOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10919883439810860642noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7575135911772470045.post-8414652053601690122009-08-16T08:42:07.033-07:002009-08-16T08:42:07.033-07:00God lives in the Etermal NOW, man has a past, pres...God lives in the Etermal NOW, man has a past, present and future. When God forgives, the sin or Sin was never committed, when man forgives, the sin may truly be forgiven, but the memory of it still exists. Analogy, while not perfect sometimes helps understand a difficult concept.<br /><br />If you break a China plate then mend it, the crack will still be there, and visible. When God mends it, the plate was never broken.<br /><br />We will never be capable of true forgiveness, only God can do that. The best we can do is to resist the temptation to "bring it up" again. When you forgive someone for their actions, do not say "I'm Sorry", until AFTER you ask their forgiveness. "I'm sorry" puts you in control. "Please forgive me" gives control to the other person.<br /><br />Marvin SchmidtMarv Schmidtnoreply@blogger.com