“Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” – 2 Corinthians 2:7
Moravia was once a region in Eastern Europe. Slovakia would be the nearest modern equivalent. The “Moravians” were a group of Moravian Christians forced out of their homeland by persecution. In the 18th century, they settled in Saxony, Germany; and from there, Moravian missionaries went out across the globe, spreading the Gospel.
A group of Moravian missionaries decided to take the message of God to the Eskimos. They arrived on the shores of Labrador in 1771 and went about the work of learning the language. One of the struggles the missionaries faced was in teaching the Eskimos was that they could not find a word in the Eskimo language for forgiveness. Finally, they had to compound a phrase to use in the place of forgiveness. This compound phrase turned out to be issumagijoujungnainermik. It's a formidable-looking assembly of letters, but the expression has a beautiful connotation for those who understand that it means "not being able to think about it anymore”.
Forgiveness is a difficult act of love, but it demonstrates God’s love for us. Today in prayer, let the Lord know you have forgiven those who have hurt you, and then let them know that you forgive them.
“Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future.” – Paul Boese
God’s Word: “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” – Colossians 3:13
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