Forgiveness: Loving Past What You See

       When I was younger, I remember being told to go to the person I needed to forgive and say, "I'm sorry." It seemed simple enough because I figured that once it was stated (with emotion or not), I was off of the hook. As a young girl, I felt justified. Now as an adult, I know better and must work to carry myself accordingly. Learning to forgive is not about the choice of words one chooses to speak, but rather a heart issue in which one does not allow what took place to keep him or her in bondage. Simply stated: forgiveness pardons people from the pain or hurt that was experienced by another.

       When I get out of hand, God is always there to love me back to where I need to be. Do you remember the example I gave in my post about "When You Pray For Patience"? I could have easily chosen to get even with the man, and I actually wanted to for a split second. However, God's conviction over me was a great reminder that I needed to slow down, forgive the man in my heart, and move forward. The benefits of doing so were totally worth it versus my own selfishness. Forgiveness involves showing mercy to another, and looking past what you currently see in front of your face while loving with the heart of God.

       The lack of forgiveness is living in bitterness, and this is a self-made prison. It is precisely spiritual imprisonment. People literally gather ridicule, hurt and pain from any memory they can think of and decorate their self-made prisons with them. While forgiveness may seem like a cruel thing for the person who was hurt in the process, it is the only way to be redeemed from the bondage of spiritual imprisonment. The issue may be as small as a person cutting in front of you in line at the store, or as great as someone who broke off a loving relationship with you. Understand that surrendering your heart to God and your willingness to let Him change you will open up doors for you to show mercy to others as well as forgiveness.


Scriptures:

• Psalm 25:18
• Psalm 86:5
• Ephesians 4:32