FORGIVENESS FINDING PEACE THROUGH LETTING GO CHAPTER 2 FOR BETTER OR WORSE

Read Colossians 3:12-15 Here Paul describes how Christians are meant to live in community with one another. He uses clothing as a metaphor for the way we respond toward others.

Compassion – the act of putting yourself in your partner’s shoes. What happens when you step into someone else’s shoes?

Kindness – Performing thoughtful acts for someone with no expectation of something in return. What happened the last time you showed someone a kindness like this?

Humility – Respecting others as human beings and putting their needs ahead of yours. How is easy is it to put the needs of others ahead of your own?

Meekness – gentleness, responding bad with good. When someone does you wrong, how easy is it for you to respond with goodness? Where do you draw the line between being meek and being a pushover?

Patience – endurance and long suffering, even in unpleasantness. How hard do you have to work at being patient when things are going bad?

If we clothed ourselves like Paul suggests, we would never need forgiveness. But what happens when we speak in harsh tones and find ourselves easily irritated? Do you think forgiveness needs to be thought of or handled differently in a marriage than in other relationships?

Is Christian forgiveness always possible? Does Christian forgiveness always mean reconciliation? Why or why not? Is saying I’m sorry or I forgive you enough to repair a broken relationship? If not, what else is needed>?

No one is going to live up to al the virtues laid out by Paul. Is it easier for you to live out these virtues with friends outside the home or with family inside the home? Why?

Are you easily frustrated by the little things people do? These frustrations, disappointments, irritations, and perceived slights fill up your backpack with pebbles. What are the little things you do that frustrate those around you?

Sometimes we keep mental ledgers recording credits and debits of those around us. Sometimes we forget to record the credits, but keep on recording the debits when others do us wrong. What kind of a ledger do you keep?

If you only keep track of the debits and not the credits, the relationship is probably not going to be healthy. How do you go about addressing things another person does that bothers you? Be thankful for those around you and begin to focus more on the positives and remember them, that’s the key to successful relationships.

In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul tells us that love keeps no record of wrongs. How hard would it be for you to quit keeping track of the wrongs done to you?