Longevity Secrets from the Life of Bill Pritchett

Love overlooks the mistakes of others, but dwelling on the failures of others devastates friendships. Proverbs 17:4 TPT

Dad had many visitors in his last weeks of life on this earth. He treated them in such a special way and they enjoyed sharing precious memories and new truths from the Scriptures. On my last visit there, one of the disciples approached me with a concerned look on his face. As he began to share, he spoke of a time when he had done something that was painful to my parents and had affected their lives. He asked for my forgiveness. I gave him that gift of forgiveness and then sat there in shock as I realized that Dad had forgiven and forgotten about the incident completely. That is true forgiveness.

“Hurry up and forgive so nothing disturbs your peace so you can have the victory. God will work out the details if you get out of the way.” Bill Pritchett

Have you ever known someone who was in the ministry? Were they ever hurt by the decisions of others?

Forgiveness is the gift you give yourself. We never know what was going on in the background that brought about the decisions of others. We can only determine our own decisions. Dad never spoke about the hard times but spoke often about the victories he had gained in tough times. When he referred to the hard times, he never brought up the people who were involved.

Bitterness puts you in chains while forgiveness releases blessings and deepens relationships. Stay in the place of joy and peace by taking care of your own heart. Love others unconditionally and let the Lord sort it out.

Longevity Secret #6:

When betrayed or tempted to be disappointed by what others have done, gain the victory quickly and forgive completely.

This post is part of the Write 31 Days 2019 challenge. Click here to find more longevity secrets.

Author, speaker, corporate trainer, ordained minister and Hope Catalyst, Karen Sebastian enjoys sharing her rich life experiences with others – engaging them in adventurous discoveries of the beauty of hope in a dark, cloudy world. Her books will inspire you to embrace hope no matter what you are going through. As a caregiver and widow she took brave steps forward to fulfill God’s calling on her life. She has now remarried and enjoys her new hubby and spending time with their children and grandchildren. To increase hope and improve relationships with yourself and those that you love, check out her Facebook page – The Power of Hope.