Bitterness vs. Forgiveness

~An Unfinished Life (PG-13) In my opinion this is a fantastic movie/story.  In the real world my opinion may not count for much, but on my blog it's the most important one found. :) The acting performances by Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman are timeless and honestly... Jennifer Lopez isn't half bad either.  The story unfolds like the mystery of some dirty little secret.  It's the merging of several realistic chronicles, which form a captivating film.  Strained relationships, harboring bitterness, extending forgiveness and standing strong are themes that shine through.  It's a prime example that you don't need steamy sex scenes, graphic violence or fancy parlor tricks to make a fantastic movie. The two things I wanted to highlight are bitterness and forgiveness.  Einar Gilkyson (Redford) shows the audience the effects of harboring bitterness in your heart.  Einar has become a cold and ridged man with a broken but very hard heart.  The past tragedy he's had to deal with is no doubt painful and seems impossible to overcome.  As the film unfolds you piece together the event that has changed his life and it's easy to see why Einar is bitter.  Throughout the motion picture you see that Einar's bitterness has made him a very unhappy man and often unpleasant to be around. The other highlight I want to bring forth is the element of forgiveness.  This bit was also peppered throughout the movie and you are able to see the seeds of forgiveness planted in Einar's heart.  Many of these seeds were stomped out by the powerful root of bitterness he had allowed to consume his heart.  However, the persistence of forgiveness started to pierce the surface and slowly began to change Einar's heart.  We see that forgiveness is something we all need.  We need to forgive others along with ourselves.  It is the path to healing broken hearts and repairing shattered relationships.  Forgiveness is the life-breath of restoration. The same is true when it comes to the Christian life.  Forgiveness is the basis of our faith.  God has offered each and every one of us the forgiveness we need through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus.(a)  The difference with this forgiveness(b) is that God's forgiveness doesn't take time to materialize, it is instant.  When you accept the truth of Jesus Christ(c) and confess Him as Lord and Savior of your life, you are forgiven right then and there.(d)  When we choose to forgive another person, often choosing to forgive is only the beginning of the path to true forgiveness. Bitterness is the arch enemy of forgiveness, but given the chance, forgiveness will always win out in the end... and healthy happy lives are the result. a: John 15:13; b: Ephesians 1:7-8; c: Romans 10:9-10; d: 1 John 1:9