Live Like the Amish Part 3
The Amish believe in extending forgiveness quickly. This is a practice they take seriously. An example of this is how an Amish community near Lancaster, Pennsylvania responded in 2006 when a man entered an Amish schoolhouse and shot several children. The media, as well as many people in our nation, were shocked when the Amish forgave the shooter. In that, there is a lesson to be learned. If we don’t forgive, it affects every aspect of our lives. How can we come to a place of forgiveness when someone has hurt us or a member of our family? What does the Bible say about forgiveness?
The LORDS prayer says Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
JESUS said to forgive someone who has sinned against us seventy times seven. (paraphrased). I’ve shared some of my story with Mrs. Brunstetter. How the AMISH QUILT series had really touched my life in forgiving & anger, even anger with GOD, to overcome a disability with purpose. I would be extremely angry with someone if they injured a member of my family. Which did happen to an uncle during a home invasion in a country home. They beat him almost to death & tried to kidnap him. He’s 74. The Amish people forgive the way the BIBLE says we should. I forgive those 3 men, but I find it hard not to wish them ill will. I pray I become more Christ like to achieve this level of forgiveness.
I am continually in awe of the faith of the Amish folks who forgave the shooter at the school house. I think of it often and use it as a reminder to forgive people in my own life. It can be very difficult at times, but nothing in my life compares to the Amish school house incident. Thus, I’m grateful of those Amish families who live their faith every day. What a witness to the world of following the word of God.
Matthew says If you forgive men their sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your sins, but if you do not forgive men their sins your Father will not forgive your sins.
Hi Wanda, I have found that forgiveness really does help. In my case, I was being eaten alive by an incident where I was literally sick to my stomach. I found that by forgiving this particular person, my physical health improved. It really was very hard though.
I forgiveness simply erode your life of happiness. In forgiving others we can find forgiveness in Jesus Christ. What an example these Amish people have set for us today. In forgiveness we can go on with our life and not grow angry and bitter. I am so thankful that Jesus taught us how to forgive. Makes for a happier walk with Him.
Jesus says we must forgive or the Father will not forgive us. When / if we don’t forgive someone for something they have done to us, we are not hurting them. We are only hurting ourselves. How much have we sinned against Jesus and yet He not only forgives us every single time but He also FORGETS!
That is one of the very hardest things to do….and yet it is one of the most beautiful! How can forgiveness give such a wide range of feelings? But it does. When forgiveness is given…everyone has an opinion. But, in you own heart….it gives you peace. And peace is where we can grow in our faith of the Lord. Our Lord was and is a most gentle soul…he forgave those who nailed Him to the cross! We should always follow in His steps!
To forgive is a blessing in itself. Being able to do so is hard for some. That is when you pray and learn to trust God for guidance. Learning to forgive was hard for me. But the more I leaned on God and let him guide me. I found that forgiving made me feel better inside and out.
God tells us to forgive people that does wrong to you. It’s not always easy to do but with God we can forgive them. Like with the shooting of the Amish school I think that it was probably really had to forgive the person that did the shooting but they knew that is what God ask us to do
Forgiving this certain incident in my life and my husband’s was hard for us. But we realized
material things do not matter. Forgiving lifted a burden off of us and the anger was gone.
I remember reading an article about the shooter’s mother and how amazed and grateful she was by the Amish and their forgiveness.
I have never faced anything as difficult in my own life, but I do know that forgiving and not holding on to resentment and grudges makes for a happier and peaceful life.
Seventy times seven is our biblical rule for forgivness. It is not an easy task. Forgiving those who do us wrong keeps our hearts from being destroyed by the wrongdoing. It is a given. Just do it and watch it work in your life and enrich your heart.
For some people forgiveness does not come easily, especially if it is a hurt towards your family member. Okay, we forgive them, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Ah, but there’s more to it – now you have to forget it! That’s the hard part! Carrying a grudge toward someone is just as bad as not forgiving them. When Jesus died on the cross he took all my sins, all my hurts, all my brokenness and gave me such a love of people & such a forgiveness of people & a will to always see the best in people, it amazes even me! I owe him my all.
Yes God does say to forgive the ones that sin against us..Some people don’t take forgiveness easy..Especially against a family member..I have forgiven some people because carrying a grudge on gets worse..They knew what God wanted them to do to forgive the person that did the shooting in the school..God speaks to us and he knows what we should do..His son died on the cross for our sins so we should forgive..The Amish forgive the way God does and so should we..
thank you for your blog and information.
I wish more people would follow the Amish way. Love your books
As a general rule I think it’s hard for most people to forgive people who have done something against them especially if it’s as drastic as the Amish school shooting, however with that being said I feel that it’s that time when we need to the most, and our Heavenly Father knew this. If we are honest with ourselves we will see that when we withheld forgiveness we were allowing someone Else to hold our power, instead of taking back our power. By forgiving others we are not only moving forward with our life but taking our power back. The Amish and their life style can teach us so very much if we take the time to listen and learn instead of turning up our nose at their lifestyle.
With the many bad things that happen each day , sometimes it is very hard to forgive.
But I know that we are to forgive, so that we can be forgiven. Enjoy reading your books.
The older I get the easier it is to forgive. I have found that forgiveness makes life easier and better for me. I hope that others will forgive me for the many mistakes of commision and omission that I have made.
It is hard to forgive sometimes, but really if we hold grudges we are only hurting ourselves, the other person isn’t affected in any way. So if we can find it in our heart to forgive we will feel much better.
I am working on forgiving a certain person. God has softened my heart and this is a process. I am thankful that God is giving me the opportunity to be forgiving. God forgives me and I should forgive, too.
Forgiveness is still something I struggle with and it hurts my relationship with God. I do better with forgiveness when the people who do the hurting acknowledge what they’ve done and apologize. But depending on the situation, it’s hard for me not to harbor anger, sometimes for days, even with an apology. I hope I can be more like the Amish! Forgiveness is in their nature, and they don’t need apologies in order to forgive.
The scripture tells us that if we DO NOT forgive our Father in Heaven will not forgive us. I don’t want any unforgiveness in my heat.
God has told us to forgive others. As hard as it may be, like the killing of the Amish children and the forgiveness they gave the shooter, we are to do the same thing when someone has wronged us and hurt us badly. We will feel much better in our hearts if we do as God has told us to do. We need to believe in his word. God gave us his son who died for us so we could have everlasting life. He never told us it would be an easy road.
I deeply admire the Amish for this practice because it is a move to put our belief in practice–to step out in faith in Christ. Though I know that we may learn to practice forgiveness, it is really Christ who ultimately gives us the power to forgive truly. That said, I think for me personally the response I would like to get in the habit of is to pray immediately when wronged, asking Christ to work in me and bring me to forgiveness. I think the danger lies in practicing forgiveness outwardly while only stuffing your feelings inwardly. Again, it’s that relationship with Christ that is so crucial for all of us.
When I think of Scripture and forgiveness I think of the “70 times 7” –which is quite sobering. And then I think of the Lord’s Prayer and the importance forgiveness is given in that prayer.
In all the Amish books I’ve read, there is always forgiveness when there is a wrong done.
I found it very hard to forgive my mother’s pastor when she was fighting cancer. He thought it more important to try to get into teaching than to visit the ill from church. Other pastors visited her more than he did. I found out though that the longer I thought about it the worse I felt. I finally found the strength to forgive him I have found peace.
If more people followed the Amish way this world would be a better place.
Forgiveness may not come as easy as an overnight decision but a process of counsel and prayer.
Matthew 6:15 says to forgive others their sins or the Father will not forgive our sins.
It is very hard to forgive. I find myself struggling with this everyday. I pray God can show me the way to forgive as it is written in His Prayer.. the Lords Prayer and Psalms 23 are the most assuring to me when I am struggling. He says in scripture seventy times seven and that we must forgive others so that we may be forgiven. I enjoy reading your books of how simple Amish life is, how they have a purpose and enjoy God’s earth and glory. I have a cousin who is married into a shunned Amish family. I am learning how things were in that community, yet she doesn’t tell of many things. Her husband said I could only know if I were Amish. I am proud to be a believer of God’s word and pray everyday of forgiveness of my sins and that I may get closer to forgiving those others that He knows about. Bless you Wanda and your husband and all your family! you are wonderful in your writings, your husbands photos, your son and daughter-in-law writings. you have a talented God given family. Kathy
Sometimes it is so hard to forgive, but it is so much harder not to forgive. The load you bear becomes constantly heavier each day. When that happens, happiness is much harder to find.
Forgiving frees us.
I’ve wondered myself how I’d respond to such horrible circumstances. I’ve watched online the family of a sweet, Christian young lady who was brutally murdered by her ex-husband. Over and over they’ve publicly expressed their forgiveness to the murderer. The Bible speaks strongly about forgiveness. May God grant us the grace to forgive others no matter the circumstances.
Jesus says for us to forgive those who has done wrong against us! It is hard but with The Lord’s help it makes it so much easier to forgive people who have wronged us! Love your books!
Jesus said to forgive as He taught is in the Lord’s Prayer. We need to forgive our enemies.
In order to be forgiven, I must forgive. I have struggled with this a long time. In my flesh I often don’t want to forgive others, but when I realize I am acting this way I have to remind myself what the Lord requires of me. Forgiving quickly has been a problem for me as well, it seems like a power play on my part to with hold forgiveness, it is so very often a point of selfishness. It is not justified to act this way, and even after years in my Christian walk, I still fail miserably with this. But I can recognize that the Lord is helping me with this, I have not yet attained, but I am not the person I was. I think like working the soil to make it produce better, I continue to need to cultivate good attributes in me, and the Lord will help me. So often I just ask Him to help me, because I know I need the help.
I have a hard time with forgiveness in certain instances. And I realize what the Bible says and I know it hurts me more than the one I should forgive. It’s a total process.
We need to forgive to be able to move forward.
Always forgiveness should be the solution, and it may well work for the Amish Millionaire. Can’t wait for the tell all in book 6.
Forgive even unto seventy times seven. I have a hard time with this. But, I keep trying.
Really enjoy reading about the Amish way of life.
The Bible says many things but I think the main theme is Love one another.
The bible says one must forgive. As a parent, the Amish were strong people to forgive and set the example for the nation. One must be a strong person and seek the Lord’s help in order to forgive. Sarah Arnold
My parents lived the example of forgiving others before my brother and sisters. Today, I find that it is so easy to forgive others, knowing the many things that the Lord has forgiven me of. I have lived to see what forgiveness does to others. It will always come out in sickness.
I so admire the Amish in their ability to forgive and to let it go.
If you forgive others surely they will forgive you and there will be better times for each of you. If you do not forgive someone that has hurt you in some way, it will not go away and you need to have a happy heart.
The Lords Prayer which I say 2 times a day says it all about forgiveness ! I do admire the Amish for all of their clean ways and always perfect but when not brought up that way I think forgiving someone is sometimes really hard when they have just cheated on you so many times . I think there is a point in forgiveness where the person has gone past that and that you need to just take him out of your lifestyle otherwise he is going to do more harm to you than good and then it goes past the point of forgiveness. An example for me was I had a very high up in an organization job but since I was a woman i was continually past up for promotions and it was apparant to me that this was happening. Before the big deal of promoting woman happened this was in the early 80’s I knew that a man had a huge crush on me and i was married i must say not happily as my husband did drugs and also went out with other woman as a habit. Well this person who had a crush got mad at me as I wouldn;t leave my husband and he was promoted to be the asst to the owner . Well one day he was really nice to me and i told him a few confidential things he said write a letter to the owner I am sure that he will take care of it and you will get the job that you want. Well i did and i got fired. It was the guy who had the crush one me who did the letter and the owner never saw the letter. That meant my 150,000 job went right out the door and then after he bragged to several people and really talked terrible about me. I did forgive him and when i saw him i told him a few years after that i forgave him and realized it was what he needed to do he ignored me like he didn’t even know me. I felt fine after and I am sure he still is gossiping about me.
Forgiven is the blessing we give to ourselves as well as others, who may have harmed us. We can let go.
The bible says we need to forgive and I try to follow that! I love reading the Amish lifestyle and admire how they live and treat others!
We can only forgive thru GOD’s help. Forgiveness is a decision which is really more for you than the person you are forgiving. If you do not forgive, it affects your health, your mental outlook and most of all your relationship with GOD.
Although I am not a huge Bible verse person I know forgiveness would of made my life alot easier. Can you go back to start and forgive those first til current time. Will k finally feel better???
Depending on what has happened you have to forgive, maybe not forget, otherwise your life will not be the same. I know just in my own family this has happened and it is sad.
In Matthew the Bible tells us to forgive others and I John 1:9 says that if we confess our sins, He will forgive us our sins. We can pray and ask God to help us forgive others.
I feel that it is important to forgive for your own well being. When you don’t find forgiveness it will eat at you constantly and make you a miserably unhappy person. To forgive can be hard but in the long run it will make you feel better both emotionally and spiritually.
Wanted to comment on the piece you have on your July Newsletter about slowing down. You have hit a nail on the head! The rushing around and being tired and frustrated is so true! I meet so many people that are caught up with technology and busyness or they are just the opposite and seem to be unfocused, somewhat unproductive and unhappy. It is not easy to simplify our lives.
I’m learning that it takes a plan, time and effort but the results are nice. Also being forgiving is necessary to find peace and true peace with God. Keep up the good work!
We are asked by God and Jesus to forgive as we are forgiven. Forgiveness serves to clear the heart, mind and soul making them ready for love to fill them up. And it is by love and love alone that we are expected to live. God and Jesus know that we are human and will fall, but to forgive those who’ve fallen shows a great love and serves as a great example for others..
Always enjoy reading your blog information. Uplifting.
Matthew 6:15 says, But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Forgiveness is so hard for our human flesh, and to overcome it we have to read God’s Word, pray, and ask God for help. He created us, so He knows us, and knows our struggles. If He made us, of course, He can lead us in making a hard decision or doing something that is difficult! We need to forgive because it is what our Heavenly Father tells us to do, and as children of God we must obey Him.
Jesus tells us to forgive as many as seventy times seven, short, simple, straight forward.
Forgiveness comes by doing not just by saying the words. The Bible says, “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37. Through prayer, God will give strength and peace.