Lewis Smedes

Wow, Gary!  I love your honesty and desire for others to experience forgiveness and restoration of relationships  you are to be admired for your courage, but more than that, your response to God’s love and intervention into your life  

 Maybe you have already shared much of how you came to Christ, through the accident and God’s networking of people to bring you to Jesus  but sharing that in your story is powerful, just like the hurts and trauma of your past.  You may not have the time to talk about that in one talk.  

The Ephesians 4 passage you have shows me that I have a long way to go to be a perfectly forgiving person. I am always needing to not slander or distort others’ past past offenses to be more than they are. They are in the past and I need to let go as much as I can, in small steps. I can’t control the outcome of my efforts, but God will do the work. 

Another thought is that God is always showing me that I need tk  e a person of peace and calmness, not matter what the anger of others might be, or how many torpedoes of war are shot in a battle.  Today’s peace in relationships does not guarantee that I won’t be Sean I tk a traumatic event tomorrow  I need to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, not my last or upon others  

An old book I read a long time ago about forgiveness, has been and still is a reminder to me that forgiveness is a never ending process.  

Here are a few quotes:

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.

Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.

You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well.

It takes one person to forgive, it takes two people to be reunited.

Ephesians 4:29-32 Do not let any unwholesome talk come our of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.  Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you