Don't be a hostage to anger

The Christian Science Monitor

Recent events in the Middle East have made me think quite a lot about forgiveness and how important it is in any situation that needs healing.

Sometimes events in our lives seem to escalate out of control. Anger, fear, frustration, a feeling of helplessness, take over. If we really want a healing outcome, it is at this point that we must do our utmost to forgive and to avoid hatred. To do this is to follow the standard Christ Jesus set for us. He was a good and honest man condemned to a shameful death by religious leaders who feared and envied him.

Yet on the cross he forgave them. Looking back on it now, knowing that he rose from the dead, we may take that act of forgiveness for granted. But if we pause for a moment to think of the hatred directed at Jesus in his final hours, we may gain a renewed respect for his ability and willingness to forgive.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

Identification with spiritual perfection