宽恕

We are commanded by Jesus to forgive others, even those…especially those…who have wronged us. He commands us to do so, because, when we forgive, especially those who have wronged us terribly, we are most like him.

主耶稣吩咐我们要宽恕他人，特别是那些冤枉了我们的人。他吩咐我们这样做是因为，当我们宽恕那些极大程度冤枉我们的人的时候，我们就更象他。

Forgiveness does not mean that we make believe the injustice never happened, or make light of it. It means we cease harboring ill against the other. We let it go.

宽恕不是要我们相信不公正的事情从来没有发生，或试着淡化它。宽恕是要我们停止记恨，不再记挂。

It does not depend on our ability to bring the other to the same realization. We cannot control the other. We can only control ourselves.

我们没有能力让那些伤害我们的人有同样的醒悟。我们无法控制他们。我们能控制的只有我们自己。

Our forgiveness must commence regardless of the other. We can only make the decision for ourselves to move to the center. We cannot force the other to take that same step.

无论对方怎样，我们必须先行宽恕。我们只能促使自己做决定，我们无法强迫别人做同样的事。

Forgiveness is not for the weak.

宽恕不是弱者的表现。

A barrier to forgiveness is our sense of justice. If we forgive the other and move on, where is justice? But this is why forgiveness is so hard. It is easier to forgive if we feel some guarantee that justice will be delivered in the near future. But that is not forgiveness.

不能宽恕的原因是我们对公义的诉求。如果我们宽恕了对方，那么公义何在？这就是为什么宽恕如此艰难的原因。当我们知道在不久的将来会有审判的时候，宽恕对我们来说会容易一些。但这不是宽恕。

Forgiveness looks only within, what we can do. It does not think of what should be done to the other.

宽恕只注重我们自己能做什么，而不去思想对方将受到怎样的惩罚。

When we focus on the injustice that has been done, it will become a dominant thought, and so we might be tempted to be God’s instrument of justice, to help things along.

当我们总想着要怎样惩罚对方的时候，我们就会被这样的想法控制，从而受到诱惑，试图替天行道。

But we should be careful in our zeal about seeking justice, for God is an impartial judge. If we call upon him to bring justice to our offender, he will begin with us. So we should not call down justice upon the other. The role we have been given is to forgive. Justice is what God will do, mercifully.

当我们热切寻求公义审判的时候，要非常小心，唯有神是全然公义的。如果我们呼求神审判别人，他会先行审判我们。因此我们不要呼求神去惩罚别人。我们的责任就是宽恕；审判，罚罪是神要做的事，他有他的恩慈。

When we forgive, we are reminded of the mercy that has been shown to us. When we forgive even the most malicious of acts, we begin to see–only then can we see–how we have been forgiven.

当我们宽恕他人的时候，我们就会经历到神对我们的宽恕。当我们宽恕最恶毒的行为时，我们开始知道，也只有在这时我们才知道神是怎样地宽恕了我们。

When we forgive, we know God more clearly.

当我们宽恕的时候，我们更清楚地认识神。

Even when the wrong done to us carries with it such an overpowering sense of malice, when we are filled with disgrace, humiliation, isolation–even then we forgive. Especially then.

特别是当我们忍受极大的恶毒，倍受羞辱，孤独，去宽恕的时候，

Because, When we feel this way, we have the privilege of feeling what Jesus felt–disgrace, humiliation, isolation,

神就借着这样特殊的经历，让我们亲身体验主耶稣曾忍受的羞辱及孤独。

and When we forgive, we are most like Jesus.

当我们宽恕的时候，我们更象我们亲爱的主。

Forgiveness is deciding what kind of person you want to be, what kind of life you want to live. It is a decision whether to be more or less conformed to the image of Christ. That decision is before us more often than we might think.