Humiility, Intentional, Real, Relevant, And Relational

What comes to mind when society hears the word, God? Dictionary.com defines God as “the one Supreme Being, creator, and Ruler of the Universe.” To me, I know God as Yahweh, the Jewish and Christian deity. I believe in Yahweh because he protects me every day, and when I turn to him for help, he is always there for me. There are others who view God as Allah or Buddha. At one time, they even saw Zeus this way, but I’m not here to really focus on the side with which everyone is familiar. Dictionary.com also defines God as “something that is regarded or treated as a God”. God can be the ultimate ruler of all things, the statue of Buddha made of stone, or even a smartphone.

It is also vital to look at Wilson’s view on the practice of forgiveness and how if an individual decides to ignore it, it can place a road block in their process of change. She believes that God speaks about forgiveness for the following reasons:” (1) we are all sinners with whom to relate so we’ll need to become skillful forgivers (2) God makes forgiveness a centerpiece of our healing process because living in un-forgiveness is so much worse (Wilson, 2001).

Life, as we all know is saturated with misfortune. Most of us are able to go through these and learn from and exempt ourselves. Yet, this isn’t always the case. People are faced with bone riveting experiences that often take a long time to get over, if they ever do get over it. These episodes brew in our brain popping up at the most random points often bringing our tone down. Although these experiences may scare us and fill us with ruefulness and penitence, we can’t continue to live in the past and let these regrets habituate us. Self forgiveness is a remedy to healing and to moving on in life, no matter how hard it is.

Our God forgives our daily sins for he knows that we are imperfect. Yearningly, I hope my children to imitate this Godly quality and “forgive one another freely”, thus building strength in their faith in their relationships, whether it is with God, their spouse, or their friends. All of my relationships are present today due to forgiveness. Optimistically, I wait to teach my children to resemble forgiveness so they will cultivate strength and be unmovable with their faith. When people witness my future offspring and I demonstrate these acts of forgiveness, kindness will continue and flourish in the family, community, and hopefully the world.

God has mercy and grace for those that follow him even when at times we make mistakes.

To say that the definition of “god” as defined by the Free Online Dictionary is of truth is partially accurate. However, the definition is beneficial for defining religions of Abrahamic faith that align with views of “classical theism” it proves erroneous in attempting to define religions characteristic of monotheism.

“People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway. If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway. The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.” (http://www.jasonburns.com/anyway/). This is the call to action for

1.communication of knowledge to man by a divine or supernatural agency/ how god reveals himself to us

empathetic and try to the best of my ability to understand where people are coming from. This helps me

      No matter what the adversity may be, God wants you to know that He is sufficient, that He is enough, and that He can handle it if we allow Him too. Many times as Christians, we ask God to handle a problem or situation for us, but yet we don't allow Him to fully have control of that situation. All He is wanting us to acknowledge is that He

The goodness and mercy that follow us are not something we can earn or achieve for ourselves. They are given to us by the sheer grace of God. Were it not for God’s forgiveness, our sins and mistakes would quickly disqualify us for eternal life. But with God there is goodness and mercy, supremely evident in his Son Jesus Christ. Our life on earth and our life with God forever are the product of God’s grace alone.

Overall, Terry’s article was well written and completely grounded in scripture. He closes his article by emphasizing how forgiveness depends upon substitution. Through any act of forgiveness, the forgiving party has to surrender the right to their repayment or compensation. Forgiveness is always an act of grace.

Christian beliefs and practices such as prayer and the belief in God play a role in encouraging forgiveness. These beliefs can have a profound effect on an individual who has experienced wrongdoing against them (Pettigrove, 2012). The belief in God leaves one feelings as if they are not standing alone in the midst of adversity but instead being taken care of and protected (Pettigrove, 2012). The more secure one feels from the offender being taken care of, the less anger the offended may feel which may alter the experience of forgiveness (Pettigrove, 2012). It goes on to say in the article, “Forgiveness without God”, that when one believes in God, anger may be reduced leaving much less work in the area of forgiveness

7. I need to be able to change my approach if my first idea does not work and be open to any opportunities and changes (Rose 397).

The existence of God has been in question for as long as mankind has existed and thought logically. Many questions have plagued the human mind in regards to God, and there have been many arguments drawn with the hopes of proving the existence of a supreme being whom we know as God. The “God” question has been presented to every individual at some point in their lives. It is a topic that will bring forth never-ending questions and an equal amount of attempted answers. Many philosophers have formulated different rationales when examining the topic of God, some of which include how the word itself should be defined, what his role is in human existence, whether or not he loves us, and ultimately, if he even exists at all. Mankind cannot