How are you today? I hope well. Today marks 5,000 hits on my blog - so someone out there must be reading my my ramblings. That is good, I suppose.
New on the blog this week:
I have added a bucket list page and a verse of the week page. More pages soon to come...
The topic today is this: forgiveness. It seems like such an easy word. Such a simple idea. Someone punches you in the face, you simply turn the other cheek and let them punch that one while you say - it's ok friend! Right? No? What then?
Lately, I have had to learn how to CHOOSE to forgive. That has been something somewhat new for me. Trust is something, for me, that I initially give out fairly freely - until you break my trust... then you better believe you will need to earn every penny of it back. This is how I was raised.
So forgiving someone for breaking my trust goes against every single fiber of my being. 125.7%.
But, within the last few months I've had my trust damaged a few times... beaten down, kicked around, played with, and tainted...
I found this song - Losing, by Tenth Avenue North. When I heard this song, something just broke inside of me and things started to make sense... slowly... this is the song:
We feel as though when someone hurts us that we deserve to hang on to that anger or hurt. As if by hanging on to it longer we can feel better, stronger, ...more powerful?
The song says this - "truth is it doesn't matter if their sorry or not...freedom comes when we surrender..."
I can tell you that these words cannot be more well put. Freedom does not come from you building up anger, hurt, frustration, and revenge in your heart. Freedom comes when you choose to give those feelilngs to God.
It's a choice.
I think of it like this.... if Jesus can forgive me for all the things I've done....why do I deserve to not forgive someone who has hurt me?
Jesus paid the ultimate price for all of MY sins. All of my past sins... my current sins... my sins yet to come.
I have no right to not forgive my brothers and sisters in Christ... no matter how "great" that I feel the sin is.
And...the song is right when it says that freedom is the outcome of forgiveness... and ultimately, it doesn't matter if they are sorry or regretful... because reality is this: they might never be sorry...
So it's up to you. Release it. Give it to God. Don't harbor bitterness. Because by harboring bitterness, you will open your heart up to a gateway of other sins. Rip that bitterness out - hand it over - release it - heal - move on. It may not be easy, but friends, its worth it. Don't you want to live a life of freedom...?
God is good. Always. Put it on His shoulders - they are big enough to carry the weight.
Be blessed!
In Him,
Samantha
Forgiveness us a funny thing. It can sometimes be one of the hardest things that one has to face in ones lives. It means getting over the anger, hurt, pain, betrayal, etc. that one feels, but is essential before healing can begin. Sometimes one chooses not to forgive due to the agony caused, but we are reminded that God forgives us for the worst of our sins that we ourselves commit. How then can we not forgive others? Forgiveness also makes us look beyond the mistakes that others have committed against us but also at how we may have wronged them to cause them to commit these actions toward us. It challenges us overcome our pride, to become whole in who we are with ourselves and with God, and challenges us to love unconditionally. Yes, the after effects and feeling may linger for a while, but at least the heart is at peace. Isn't that what we are instructed to do in Proverbs?...above all else guard YOUR heart. When we can get to that point with ourselves and God, we overcome the control that those hurt feelings have over us.
ReplyDelete