Forgiveness •

  I know that by the look of the tittle of this post many of you probably had a reaction. And that’s ok because we all have differ reactions to the simple word that holds a lot of power FORGIVENESS. 

  So today I want to talk about a word that has changed my life forever. 

  To start off I want to honest with you and say that forgiveness is not easy. It’s a daily process. And not an easy journey. It reminds me of a hike that me and some friends went on once, it was not an easy climb up that mountain but when we got to the top, the view was so amazing it made you feel like you were free. And when we went down the hill ready to leave I felt a since of accomplishment and gratefulness that I did it. This remind me of my journey of forgiveness the journey was not easy and there was times that I wanted to give up but I had someone there telling me to keep going, and when I reached the point that I was ready to forgive it felt freeing and beautiful. There were a lot of times that I felt like I was running back into the Valley by reliving that pain but at the end I was grateful that I could look back and see where I had come from. 

  I have a friend who asked me why? Why should I forgive? And that is a good question and I have asked God that same question many late nights but I am going to telling you what God showed me. Why should I forgive you? For everyone that you win, walk away from me, choose something over me, and you constantly put me last. So if God can forgive us everyday for every mistake that we make, why can’t we forgive others? I know that it’s not easy and that it hurts but think about the pain that Christ went through on the cross that we can be forgiven. Our pain and hurt is temporary so why sit in it so long. The Bible tells us that we need to forgive like Jesus forgave. And as Christian we are called to be more like Christ. So my question back to you is Why not forgive? Why live in hurt longer than you have you. The Bible also tells us that we should forgive seventy-seven times and no that is not a literal number, Hod tells us to forgive not just once or twice but to forgive every day. 

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭4:32‬ ‭NIV‬

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.Colossians‬ ‭3:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭26:28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”‭‭Luke‬ ‭6:37‬ ‭NIV‬‬

  One thing that read in the book Forgiving What You Can’t Forget by Lysa Terkeurst is that forgiveness is not letting go but placing the person in Gods hands. There is also a song that just came out called “What you can’t forget” by Leanna Crawford and she says that wounds become scars when placed in Gods hands. So place your hurt and your wounds in Gods hands. Give that person who hurt you to God. Lysa also says that the person who hurt you, has hurt to. Look past your own hurt and see where they are coming from. Who hurt them and maybe seeing that person through a new pair of eyes can help you understand, and to help you forgive. 

    One last thing that I want to say is that I am sorry that you have been hurt. And I want you all to know that your hurt matters. Your feelings matter. You matter. God lives you and you matter to him. 

    I hope that all of you have a different reaction to FORGIVENESS. If not that is ok because it take more than a few minutes to grasp everything. Forgiveness is a daily process and remember that God is right there with you every step of the way.

   I love you all and most importantly God loves you all!