Forgiveness, true forgiveness, is not only just saying you forgive someone but also wishing them well. I don't believe we'll forget about what happened between you and another person, but letting that anger go is so we can heal. Too often we get stuck on wanting to see punishment happen upon the other person so we feel we were right, or we feel justified that they are suffering the way they deserve. We want justification...honestly spelled R.E.V.E.N.G.E.
Revenge is like telling God, "I know my way is better than your way!" God is full of love, grace, forgiveness... When I forgive, I am giving another the same gift God gave me. None of us have clean hands and that is why God gave His only son to die on the cross for you and I...and your neighbor.
Sometimes we hold onto our anger so long it festers and infects every pore of our being. We hold onto it like a crutch that we can't let go because we haven't felt justified yet. It is time to let go of the past, to grow in your present day. I ask my son all the time when he gets upset, "Can you change the fact of what just happened? No, we can't stay upset over something that has happened that we can not change. It is time to let it go and see if we can be a better person and learn from it. Let's see what the Lord is teaching us today?"
It is in our control of how hard or how easy it will be to forgive. Please, keep in mind that just because we are forgiving someone doesn't mean we are agreeing with what the other person chose to do. Do not let that stop you from moving on, living in joy.
I know this ending sounds like an old church revival meeting but...just go with it.We are not promised our next breath, so let us use our time in doing what the Lord has asked us to do...His work.
"Less of Self More of Thee".
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1 comment:
Sometimes I feel like the older I get, the easier it is for me to forgive someone who I feel has done me wrong. Maybe it's b/c I understand better the enormity of what Jesus did for me or maybe b/c I have been extended grace and forgiveness by others more times than I can count, or maybe b/c in the grand scheme of things, holding a grudge is more exhausting and stressful... whatever it is, I hope I never become so hardened or stubborn that I cannot extend forgiveness. What a terrible legacy and message to pass down to my children!
Like the new blog look by the way:)
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