So much of our lives and relationships depend on how accurately we understand forgiveness and trust—and how they relate to each other.
Many people make the mistake of immediately trusting those they forgive, which often leads to a great deal of pain and confusion about forgiveness, love, and Christianity in general. Just because you forgive someone does not mean trust should be immediately restored.
On the other hand, many people mistakenly refuse to forgive when they realize they cannot trust the offending individual—this, too, leads to a great deal of pain and confusion.
Ultimately, forgiveness has nothing to do with what a person deserves. Which is what grace, mercy, and forgiveness are all about. None of us deserve these things. Trust, however, does have a great deal to do with what a person deserves (e.g., being “worthy” of trust). Perhaps that is why we have the word “trustworthy,” while there is no such word as “forgiveworthy.”
Forgiveness and all that it entails continues to be one of the most common subjects that we work through with people in counseling, as there are so many misperceptions surrounding the topic. A clear, biblical understanding of what forgiveness is -and is not- can be literally life changing.
Mark recently had the opportunity to be interviewed on the subject of forgiveness and how it is so crucial to have a right understanding in this area – as it will inevitably touch all other areas of a person’s life, as well as the lives of those around them. You can watch the full podcast here.
We’re also very happy to be able to offer both of our books on Forgiveness in print and e-book format. You can find them, along with the rest of Mark’s currently available books, in the Hope Ink Shop.
As always, we’d love to hear from you if you have questions – or want to share how the Lord has worked in your life through His amazing grace and truth!
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:32
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