“God has a way of blessing you exactly where you experienced the pain the most.”- Dr. Tony Evans
Tony Evans concludes Chapter 10 of Detours as he provides three ways to know you’ve truly forgiven someone.
1. You don’t bring other people into the situation that have nothing to do with the sin. Dr. Evans asserts you always can tell when a person speaks words of forgiveness, yet their actions tell a different story. Therefore, such people will:
- gossip
- involve people in the problem or knowledge of the problem who have nothing to do with that problem
- include people who can’t even fix the problem
These people seek revenge, not forgiveness. In addition, they promote the sin of gossip.
2. You seek to make the offender feel at ease with you. In Genesis 25, we read that Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” True forgiveness creates a space where the penitent offender freely comes and feels safe.
3. You try to help the offender forgive himself or herself as well. Joseph refused to pile more guilt on top of the guilt his brothers already felt. Hence, when you believe God can use your adversity to take you to your destiny, that belief enables you to help guilty people forgive themselves. In the process, that protects them from further pain and shame.
While Joseph never forgot what his brothers did to him, he forgot the pain. As a result, Joseph no longer lived under the pain. In fact, Dr. Evans stresses, “God has a way of blessing you exactly where you experienced the pain the most.”
Today’s question: How has God blessed you exactly where you experienced the pain the most? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “God’s sovereign control and arrangement of life”
