Dear Heavenly Father,
Tonight, I found myself thinking about forgiveness—not the kind that’s easy or expected, but the deep, hard kind that stretches our hearts beyond what feels humanly possible. The kind Jesus spoke about so often, and the kind so many people in today’s world seem to misunderstand or overlook entirely.
There’s an old saying I’ve heard more than once: “Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” It’s powerful, and painfully true.
I see it all the time around me—people who are hurting and don’t know how to heal. People who’ve been wronged, abandoned, betrayed, or deeply wounded, and instead of processing the pain and laying it before the Lord, they hold it tightly, like it’s somehow protecting them. But in reality, it’s just making them more bitter, more broken, and more distant from the peace they’re actually craving.
What some atheists—or really, anyone outside the hope of Christ—don’t often realize is that forgiveness isn’t about letting the offender off the hook. It’s about freeing your own heart from the chains of resentment. Jesus didn’t teach us to forgive because it’s the easy or logical thing to do. He taught us to forgive because it’s the divine thing to do.
Matthew 6:14-15 couldn’t be clearer:
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
That’s not just a suggestion—it’s a call to action, a command rooted in the very heart of the gospel. After all, the entire message of salvation is based on forgiveness. Christ died not just to show us love, but to offer us forgiveness, even though we didn’t deserve it.
Lord, soften my heart when I want to harden it. Remind me that I have been forgiven so much more than I’ve ever been asked to forgive. Help me not to forget the cross when I’m tempted to withhold grace.
Forgiveness is hard. I won’t pretend otherwise. Sometimes it means choosing to release pain even when the person who caused it hasn’t apologized. Sometimes it means extending grace when you feel like you're still bleeding from the wound.
But there’s healing in the obedience.
Studies—even secular ones—have shown that forgiving others can actually lower blood pressure, reduce stress, improve sleep, boost the immune system, and decrease anxiety and depression. Isn’t that amazing? Even science can’t help but testify to the power of what God designed.
But forgiveness doesn’t always come naturally. So how do we actually do it?
First, we pray.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44, “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”
That sounds almost impossible until you try it. Because something sacred happens when you start praying for the person who hurt you. You stop seeing them as just the villain in your story, and you start seeing them through God’s eyes—a broken person, just like you, in need of grace.
Father, I lift up the people who have hurt me. I don’t always understand why they did what they did, but You do. And I trust You to heal the broken places in both of us. Soften their heart, and mine too. Help me to release this burden into Your hands.
Second, we build forgiveness into our daily walk with Christ. Forgiveness isn’t just an event—it’s a lifestyle. You don’t just forgive once and forget. You forgive over and over, even when the hurt resurfaces. You choose it like you choose to follow Jesus: day after day, moment by moment.
It takes practice, patience, and God’s power.
We’re not meant to do it alone. That’s why community matters so much. When we share our struggles with other believers, we’re reminded that we’re not weak—we’re human. And in that shared humanity, we find strength, encouragement, and accountability.
James 5:16 reminds us, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”
There is healing when we’re honest, and freedom when we walk with others who are chasing the same Christ-like heart.
And let’s be real—resentment doesn’t just affect us spiritually. It spills into everything: our relationships, our physical health, our mood, our energy, and even how we view God. If we’re not careful, bitterness can become an idol we nurse instead of a wound we surrender.
But when we forgive, we reclaim peace. When we release others from the prison of our resentment, we actually walk out of that prison ourselves.
Lord, teach me to be a forgiving woman—not out of obligation, but out of love for You. Let forgiveness become part of my character. Let it shape my words, my thoughts, my prayers. And when it feels too big for me to do alone, remind me that Your Spirit is my helper.
Forgiveness is hard, yes—but it’s worth every ounce of effort. It’s not about forgetting or pretending nothing happened. It’s about choosing not to carry the weight anymore. It’s about choosing obedience, even when it hurts. And it’s about trusting that God is the ultimate Judge and Healer.
Romans 12:19 says, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
That means we don’t have to make things right—we just have to do what’s righteous.
So tonight, I choose to forgive. Not because it feels good. Not because they said sorry. Not even because I feel strong.
But because Jesus forgave me.
Because I want to walk in freedom.
Because I want peace that only He can give.
And because holding on to bitterness just isn’t worth missing out on the beauty of grace.
With a healing heart,
A Daughter of Grace Learning to Forgive 💛
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