DAILY BIBLE DEVOTION

 

FORGIVENESS

Joseph is a lot more forgiving than

I'm afraid I would be. Joseph not

only forgives his brothers but sees

God's hand in allowing their sin to

bring good out of evil. How do we

look at sins committed against us?

Can we find any good that has

come from them? I can remember

|losing a job because of the lies of a

co-worker. It was devastating at

the time, and yet it led to my being

able to live out one of my

childhood dreams and then to

some of the happiest years of my

life. The co-worker lost her job

sOon after. There are so many

times when if we look back we can

see how God is working. We also

can see how a lack of forgiveness

can cause damage to families,

communities and beyond. I've seen

this with divorce where one or

both parents try to turn their child

against the other parent. This can

damage the child but also the

parents themselves and their

families. Forgiveness might not be

easy, but ongoing hostility and

anger can cause physical as well as

psychological damage. I'm sure

you have seen this among your

friends ifnot in your own family.

We need to learn from Joseph. If

we are having problems forgiving,

we can ask God to help us. We ask

God to forgive us, and he will also

help us forgive others as he wants

us to be free of the bonds that not

forgiving keep us bound.

PRAYER

Lord, we thank you for your

willingness to forgive us. Please

give us the graces we need to

forgive those who have sinned

against us. Amen.