There was a song in the 70's entitled, "Tie a yellow ribbon around the old oak tree." I heard it the other day as I was listening to a vintage station, and I had the same reaction that I had back in my twenties. I cried, and I know why.
At the root of the song is atonement, or redemption, and with forgiveness thrown in at the end. With redemption there is a deliverance that takes place. Where once there was guilt, now there is a rebirth.
As for forgiveness, it is a powerful tool and it changes us. Whether we offer forgiveness, or receive it, the result is undeniable. We are released to start fresh, and new beginnings are unlike anything else.
Might I also mention that the announcer on the radio station was quick to say that this song was number one on the charts for mega weeks. That tells me that I am not the only one who is moved by the story of redemption. We want to hear of it and sing of it, over and over again. Why? Simply because we know that it is something that none of us can live without!
Psalm 107:2 NIV Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story- those He redeemed from the hand of the foe.