Lewis B. Smedes

Lewis B. Smedes
Lewis Benedictus Smedeswas a renowned Christian author, ethicist, and theologian in the Reformed tradition. He was a professor of theology and ethics for twenty-five years at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. His 15 books, including the popular Forgive and Forget, covered some important issues including sexuality and forgiveness...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionAuthor
CountryUnited States of America
memories doubt forgiving
Can you stop your memory on a dime, put it in reverse, and spin it in another direction the way you can reverse direction on a tape recorder? We cannot forget on command. So we just have to let the forgetting happen as it will; we shouldn't rush it, and we certainly should not doubt the genuineness of our forgiving if we happen to remember. The really important thing is that we have the power to forgive what we still do remember.
pain forgiving way
Forgiving is, first of all, a way of helping yourself to get free of the unfair pain somebody caused you.
men wife different
My wife has lived with at least five different men since we were wed - and each of the five has been me.
hate bitterness heal
The longer we hate, the harder it is to heal us.
forgiveness wise justice
A wise judge may let mercy temper justice but may not let mercy undo it.
forgiveness people understanding
I have discovered that most people who tell me that they cannot forgive a person who wronged them are handicapped by a mistaken understanding of what forgiving is.
self surrender paradox
Self control is about being in charge of the direction our lives are taking. Now for the paradox: We get control of our lives, ultimately, not by will power but by surrender.
shame guilty shame-and-guilt
We feel guilty for what we do. We feel shame for what we are.
grace secret edges
The secret of grace is that it can be all right at the center even when it is all wrong on the edges.
forgiving firsts doe
The first and often only person to be healed by forgiveness is the person who does the forgiveness... When we genuinely forgive, we set a prisoner free and then discover that the prisoner we set free was us.
forgiveness past names
The rule is: we cannot really forgive ourselves unless we look at the failure in our past and call it by its right name.
happiness joy missing
To miss out on joy is to miss out on the reason for your existence.
character self flames
Some people ask who they are and expect their feelings to tell them. But feelings are flickering flames that fade after every fitful stimulus. Some people ask who they are and expect their achievements to tell them. But the things we accomplish always leave a core of character unrevealed. Some people ask who they are and expect visions of their ideal self to tell them. But our visions can only tell us what we want to be, not what we are
memories past keys
Forgiveness is the key that can unshackle us from a past that will not rest in the grave of things over and done with. As long as our minds are captive to the memory of having been wronged, they are not free to wish for reconciliation with the one who wronged us.