Forgiveness!

Nelson Mandela!

Mathew 18:35”……. forgive your brother from your heart."

Nelson Mandela spent 18 of his 27 years in prison on Robben Island. Christo Brand was his jailor. Brand started to work on Robben Island off Cape Town in 1978 when he was 18 and Mandela was 60. At such a young and vulnerable age, I’m glad Jailor Christo Brand met a good man rather than vicious and revengeful creatures that we see all around today. After some violence strikes the town, in its immediate aftermath, online social networks are rife with reports and updates of what was going on – with photos. At times, this stirs antagonism. Besides this, we are bombarded on all sides with ‘revenge theme’ movies, violence and blood through media; in the midst of all this cacophony, it is soothing and refreshing to read about a man who forgave the people who harassed and traumatized him

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Years later, when Mandela was President, he took special care to single out Brand for recognition while South Africa’s new Constitution was being drafted. Mandela went around the room shaking hands with parliamentarians but when he saw Brand, who was distributing documents, Mandela lifted his arms and warmly greeted him. He immediately made a big announcement to everyone: ‘You know who is this person? This person was my warden, this person was my friend’.” This is what you call forgiving your brother from your heart! It should not stop with just forgiving but we need to take a step further and get closer to the person.

I know we are busy changing our upholstery at home, cleaning, dusting, and getting reading for Christmas; pause today to listen to this message on forgiveness. Much more than a ‘clean and tidy home’, God is looking for a clean and changed heart! Are you listening?

Satan has a firm grip on this world and is wreaking havoc. Anger, envy, spiteful and malicious nature, vindictiveness, ruthlessness and rudeness is predominant all over. Marriages get broken, relationships are battered and peace is lost because we have carried ‘muck’ in our hearts for too long. Are you there? There are Christians who don’t speak to their brothers and sisters; yet bake cakes and visit church on Christmas. This is pseudo Christianity! Moms and dads don’t speak to their children for years; yet, partake in the holy communion. Please listen! Forgive unconditionally and reconcile with people in order to reconcile with God.

Check out your inbox for ‘hate messages’ and delete them. If you have scathing emails drafted against someone, just wipe them clean. Right after you read my message, bow your head and ask God for strength to forgive. Stop replaying incidents that hurt you, or remembering hurtful words, fast and pray for complete deliverance.

Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”