This is a re-post from April 15, 2017. ~Dinar Chronicles
Forgiveness is Healing
I once had a conversation with a certain man. He was angry with me because he thought I had said some disparaging remarks about him to other people. Even though I said no such things, for the sake of his peace of mind and healing between us, I said I’m sorry, please forgive me. He said, No, I’m not going to forgive you. Maybe God will forgive you but I’m not going to forgive you. I was sad for him because he chose to remain angry and bitter.
I know a family of siblings who inherited a large sum of money when their parents died. A dispute about the money arose and the siblings split into two groups. Neither side talks to the other. Their children, the cousins, no longer see each other. At a recent wedding, none of the other family were invited. Again, it is a very sad situation because number one, it is unnecessary and number two, healing could simply happen through forgiveness.
Jesus makes a strong connection between healing and forgiveness in the gospel of Matthew. In the passage (Mt.9:1-8) we have the familiar account of the paralytic being carried on a bed by his friends towards Jesus. Did the Savior immediately make the man walk? No, he said first, Take heart son; your sins are forgiven (v.2). It is only after some of the scribes accused Jesus of blaspheming (because only God can forgive sins), that Jesus physically heals the paralytic with the words ‘Stand up’ (v.6).
That strong connection, between physical healing and forgiveness, still remains true for us today. We can think of it one level, where we have a knot in our stomach or an ache in our heart when we are angry or hurt by another person’s words or actions against us or someone we care about. This same feeling of ilk can arise within when our own conscience accuses us after we do the same to another human being. On a different level, ignoring and not addressing these feelings when they occur, can lead to more serious health problems. Many medical doctors realize what priests and saints have known for centuries: that unresolved emotional and spiritual issues, can lead to physical illness and disease. They use the term ‘psychosomatic’ when referring to this dynamic relationship between body and soul.
When we feel physically ill, we often run first to our own medicine cabinet looking for a leftover prescription or some over-the-counter medication. Or we may make an appointment to see our family doctor or a specialist for an exam. Perhaps, we are struggling with reoccurring medical condition or a series of different illnesses. The term ‘psychosomatic’, does not mean these illnesses are not real and exist only in our mind. They are real but the underlying cause may not be some foreign pathogen. Rather, the root of the problem may be the bacteria of bitterness that has infected our soul. Many medical doctors also acknowledge that unresolved mental, emotional and spiritual issues can weaken or compromise our body’s immune system so that it cannot adequately fight the germs that are constantly all around us. Recent research is shedding light on the fact that our genes can be altered by stress, both chronic and acute. However, being ill or getting sick is not necessarily a sign of unresolved issues surrounding sin in our life. We know that many saintly, holy people throughout history have suffered from serious illness and even died from certain diseases.
Whether we know it or not, people and situations around us, even our own actions, create stressful situations of varying degrees. How we respond to these external and internal forces can either compound or reduce the stress. We must ask ourselves, how am I dealing with anger, bitterness, hurt, guilt, shame and regret? These are not things that a pill will make better. Please don’t misunderstand me, medicine is helping people with depression, anxiety and a variety of other maladies. Sometimes, these are due to inadequate chemical responses within our own body. Sometimes, they are due to overwhelming stresses brought on by tragedy or disaster. And sometimes, depression and anxiety are brought on by unresolved, chronic issues surrounding anger, hurt and guilt.
My point is, doctors, medicine and various physical therapies, even mental/emotional therapies are God-given graces of healing. However, they can only take us so far before we must address the underlying spiritual issues of our life. Forgiveness is at the heart of these issues. The beginning of Jesus preaching ministry said, ‘Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Mt.4:17). His paradigmatic teaching on the Lord’s Prayer says, ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’ (Mt.6:12). In Luke 24:36-53 Jesus opens the minds of the Apostles to understand the scriptures and instructs them that ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name’ (v.47). The words ‘forgive’ and ‘forgiveness’ appear 54 times in the scriptures, 28 times in the New Testament.
So, what are we waiting for? Who do we need to forgive? Who do we need to ask forgiveness from? Don’t wait any longer. Turn to Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. Come to his clinic, the Church, and His doctors, the priests. Take the medicine of repentance and confession in order to take the necessary action to do the right thing bringing both physical and spiritual healing.
God’s speed,
Lazarus
Forgiveness is Healing
I once had a conversation with a certain man. He was angry with me because he thought I had said some disparaging remarks about him to other people. Even though I said no such things, for the sake of his peace of mind and healing between us, I said I’m sorry, please forgive me. He said, No, I’m not going to forgive you. Maybe God will forgive you but I’m not going to forgive you. I was sad for him because he chose to remain angry and bitter.
I know a family of siblings who inherited a large sum of money when their parents died. A dispute about the money arose and the siblings split into two groups. Neither side talks to the other. Their children, the cousins, no longer see each other. At a recent wedding, none of the other family were invited. Again, it is a very sad situation because number one, it is unnecessary and number two, healing could simply happen through forgiveness.
Jesus makes a strong connection between healing and forgiveness in the gospel of Matthew. In the passage (Mt.9:1-8) we have the familiar account of the paralytic being carried on a bed by his friends towards Jesus. Did the Savior immediately make the man walk? No, he said first, Take heart son; your sins are forgiven (v.2). It is only after some of the scribes accused Jesus of blaspheming (because only God can forgive sins), that Jesus physically heals the paralytic with the words ‘Stand up’ (v.6).
That strong connection, between physical healing and forgiveness, still remains true for us today. We can think of it one level, where we have a knot in our stomach or an ache in our heart when we are angry or hurt by another person’s words or actions against us or someone we care about. This same feeling of ilk can arise within when our own conscience accuses us after we do the same to another human being. On a different level, ignoring and not addressing these feelings when they occur, can lead to more serious health problems. Many medical doctors realize what priests and saints have known for centuries: that unresolved emotional and spiritual issues, can lead to physical illness and disease. They use the term ‘psychosomatic’ when referring to this dynamic relationship between body and soul.
When we feel physically ill, we often run first to our own medicine cabinet looking for a leftover prescription or some over-the-counter medication. Or we may make an appointment to see our family doctor or a specialist for an exam. Perhaps, we are struggling with reoccurring medical condition or a series of different illnesses. The term ‘psychosomatic’, does not mean these illnesses are not real and exist only in our mind. They are real but the underlying cause may not be some foreign pathogen. Rather, the root of the problem may be the bacteria of bitterness that has infected our soul. Many medical doctors also acknowledge that unresolved mental, emotional and spiritual issues can weaken or compromise our body’s immune system so that it cannot adequately fight the germs that are constantly all around us. Recent research is shedding light on the fact that our genes can be altered by stress, both chronic and acute. However, being ill or getting sick is not necessarily a sign of unresolved issues surrounding sin in our life. We know that many saintly, holy people throughout history have suffered from serious illness and even died from certain diseases.
Whether we know it or not, people and situations around us, even our own actions, create stressful situations of varying degrees. How we respond to these external and internal forces can either compound or reduce the stress. We must ask ourselves, how am I dealing with anger, bitterness, hurt, guilt, shame and regret? These are not things that a pill will make better. Please don’t misunderstand me, medicine is helping people with depression, anxiety and a variety of other maladies. Sometimes, these are due to inadequate chemical responses within our own body. Sometimes, they are due to overwhelming stresses brought on by tragedy or disaster. And sometimes, depression and anxiety are brought on by unresolved, chronic issues surrounding anger, hurt and guilt.
My point is, doctors, medicine and various physical therapies, even mental/emotional therapies are God-given graces of healing. However, they can only take us so far before we must address the underlying spiritual issues of our life. Forgiveness is at the heart of these issues. The beginning of Jesus preaching ministry said, ‘Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ (Mt.4:17). His paradigmatic teaching on the Lord’s Prayer says, ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us’ (Mt.6:12). In Luke 24:36-53 Jesus opens the minds of the Apostles to understand the scriptures and instructs them that ‘repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in His name’ (v.47). The words ‘forgive’ and ‘forgiveness’ appear 54 times in the scriptures, 28 times in the New Testament.
So, what are we waiting for? Who do we need to forgive? Who do we need to ask forgiveness from? Don’t wait any longer. Turn to Christ, the physician of souls and bodies. Come to his clinic, the Church, and His doctors, the priests. Take the medicine of repentance and confession in order to take the necessary action to do the right thing bringing both physical and spiritual healing.
God’s speed,
Lazarus