This week's Greifshare was all about forgiveness. Did you just feel that? Might want to check the stability of the table that your computer is sitting on because that is one heavy word.
Forgiveness... it is only 11 letters long and it carries so much meaning in that one little word. Why is forgiveness so hard to accept? Why is it so hard to extend? If we are made to be the image of Christ and He is the ultimate example of forgiveness why is it such a hard concept for us to grasp? When we have been forgiven of everything we have ever said, done, thought etc. why can't we just extend the smallest amount of that forgiveness to others? Why is it easier to forgive some people over others, sometimes even for the same action? Why do we feel that we have any validity in de terming who is "worthy" of forgiveness? Certainly forgiveness from me- does that even hold any weight, who am I?
As you can imagine the whole task of forgiving those that have wronged me through this experience has been a bit overwhelming. For some reason I have found it pretty easy to extend grace yet I have secretly held on to my anger, to the feeling that these people are somehow indebted to me. In short, I have extended grace without extending forgiveness which makes them both worthless. So here are some of the great lessons that I learned last night....
Forgiveness isn't just saying you forgive them... it is letting go of the feeling that someone is indebted to you, letting go of malicious thoughts towards that person, letting go of anger and letting go of gossiping about that person and how they wronged you. Whoa! That is a lot to take in at once. You mean I can't just say that i forgive a person, I actually have to change my heart towards them? Absolutely!
When you forgive someone it isn't letting them off the hook. It is letting yourself off the hook from carrying around bitterness. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger; brawling and slander, along with every form of malice (Eph. 4:31). When you forgive someone it isn't for them as much as it is for you. I am the one who is carrying around the burden of unforgiveness. It is a burden of a debt that has already been paid so why should I carry it? I shouldn't.
Hurt people hurt people. I knew the in my head but it was nice to hear someone else say it because it finally translated to my heart. I need to continue to remind myself that those who hurt me were also hurting themselves. How often have I lashed out at someone who didn't deserve it just because I was upset about something? I asked for forgiveness in those situations and thus it should be with a compassionate and understanding heart that I also extend forgiveness now.
Forgiveness is a choice, not a feeling. This one was major. So you mean I don't have to feel like forgiving someone to do that? Exactly! This truth is a bit of a catch22. On one hand it is freeing to know that I don't have to feel like forgiving someone to extend forgiveness. Considering it would probably take an eternity for me to feel like extending forgiveness this is a wonderful blessing! Eternity is a long time to carry that burden and since I haven't been to zumba in a while I am not up for that type of physical activity. On the other hand it means that I need to make a conscious choice to do something that I don't feel ready to do. I like holding onto my anger, it is comforting, justifying and mobilizing. God is asking me to lay that aside, trade my need for "justice" for His promise of justice (for myself and everyone else.) What a difficult thing it is to chose to forgive someone who has hurt us.
Finally, there was a question that just stopped me in my tracks. "When has God ever withheld forgiveness from me?" Never, wow! So, when I have been extended such abundant forgiveness who am I to withhold it from someone else?
Ok so if you are like me you need to pick your jaw up off the floor right now because God just gave you a one, two punch of reality. Holy smokes! What an awesome, selfless, phenomenal God we serve! Help me Lord to extend grace and forgiveness in all situations.
Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Col 3:13
2 comments:
Wow that was a hard pill to swallow.... But WOW! It was incredible! Thank you for sharing this lesson with me! I have a feeling I am going to be feeling lighter in the next few days cause I am about to ask God to show me where I need to extend forgiveness and really let go and move on from things I may have been harboring over the years...
<3 Love ya
And its the one two punch for the knock out. I think I have to pick my whole self up off the floor on that one. Honestly. Once again...You have taught me something. Your journey and place of ministering to others has already begun. I am daily learning from you. My relationship with God is growing daily as I journey down this road with you. The nuggets of wisdom that you have shared each day have been amazing-thought provoking-and have inspired me to do some self evaluation and soul searching (not to sound cheesy!) Thank you.
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