There are some wounds we carry for a lifetime…and they may pain you so deeply that you may absolutely balk at the concept of forgiveness.
To forgive is no small thing. It can feel like breaking open an old wound again.
The Bible certainly mentions forgiveness a lot; though it never quite spells out a precise definition.
It starts with a very real wrong. A wrong that justifies the right to anger, to hurt.
But to forgive is to give up the right to be angry.
Forgiveness requires a great sacrifice. True forgiveness is an act of trust in God, in which we trust that God will use evil wrong-doings for good.
When we look retrospectively with a trusting heart, we see God’s hand in all things through which we may have suffered. We see how he uses a bad situation for good.
Sometimes it is plain to see how God brings good from evil…and other times, we don’t quite see it while we are still in the middle of our life’s story. Forgiveness means to trust God with our pain – He is the only one with the wisdom to know what to do with it. Trust God to bring justice to evil and truly make things right. Only God has the wisdom to do so.
Forgiveness is a profound act of humility. Instead of holding onto our anger, wishing suffering upon those who made us suffer, forgiveness requires us to humble ourselves and acknowledge a reflection of ourselves as sinners before God. That humility requires us to see ourselves in the bigger picture of God’s humanity. We are all sinners before God.
Humility is at the heart of Christianity.
Forgiveness requires us to lay down our pride and our right to be angry. It is the ultimate act of humility. And when we trust in God as we practice forgiveness, we draw closer to God. Forgiveness is the spiritual discipline that grows us in our faith and Christ-likeness. When we forgive, we respond to the wrongs done unto us with an echo of Jesus – suffering the pains of forgiveness and growing in love with God.
Forgiveness is hard and long; it is a harrowing, painful, and humbling process that takes time, repetition and intention.
Unforgiveness is a righteous and bitter anger; it is a glass of poison we drink every time we indulge in it. Choose to put down the glass of poison. It does not bring healing, hope, joy or life.
Forgiveness is life-saving and life-giving. It will draw you closer to the source of all life – God. And it will fill you with more life. Forgive time and again. God will be there throughout your process to meet you and help you along the way.
