POWER OF FORGIVENESS AND RECONCILIATION - Hollis L. Green

Forgiveness relates to understanding, tolerance, peace and goodwill among families, groups and moral citizens of the community. To be effective at the individual level, forgiveness and reconciliation require positive change in both parties. Both sides of any issue or disagreement must state their grievance and come to an agreed settlement, or confusion and conflict continues to hinder personal maturation and positive social change. Forgiveness and reconciliation go together “hand and glove” which suggests a relationship while working together with others for a common outcome. The capacity to forgive is a targeted gift and a cherished predisposition of mature individuals who walk together in an agreed direction. This gift must be exercised regularly to maintain peace and harmony among friends and family and within a gathered faith-based group.

Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which an individual undergoes a change of attitude and behavior regarding an offense and releases all negative emotions and renounces any vengefulness toward the offender. This is not the condoning or excusing of wrongdoing; it is a faith-based effort to remove any doubt about the possible cause of bad behavior by either party. It may be impossible to restore the relationship, but forgiveness has a spiritual element that causes one to act unilaterally and not remember the offense against the transgressor and forgive themselves if there were a possibility that their attitude or behavior prompted the difficulty. The wrongdoing of others may easily stimulate bad behavior in the offended. This is part of the theology of forgiveness and requires a spark of divinity commonly expressed “to err is human, but to forgive is divine.”Scripture is certain, if one does not forgive an offense; they become an offender before God themselves.