Forgiveness.
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.” Luke 6:27-28
Forgiveness is really hard.
It can be really easy to want to sit in our anger towards someone. It can be more comfortable to maintain a state of unforgiveness and resentment, because we feel justified in our hurt, as if holding onto that anger gives us some sort of control or protection from being hurt again. Letting go makes us feel vulnerable, as if forgiving them is somehow letting that person “off the hook” or invalidating our own pain.
But, the uncomfortable truth is, holding on to this anger does us so much more harm than good. Getting trapped in this cycle of anxiety and anger can weigh us down both emotionally and physically and cause an intense decline in our health. By choosing to pray, forgive, surrender, and let go, we are not condoning the wrongs that were done, but rather choosing to love like God has loved us, and freeing ourselves from the immense burden that bitterness places on our shoulders.
Romans 5:7-8 says, "For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Forgiveness is about releasing the grip that hurt has on our hearts and trusting that God’s love is stronger than any wrong we have faced and letting God heal our wounds. We just have to believe and trust that God will handle it and take care of us. We must step into God’s grace, and remind ourselves that just as we are forgiven and made new in Christ, we’re called to extend that same freedom and grace to others.
Matthew 6:14 says, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” This does not mean that forgiveness is easy, but it is rather an invitation to allowing ourselves to have a peace that surpasses our understanding.
Remember, forgiveness and reconciliation are two very different things, and it’s important to know that one does not always lead to the other. Forgiveness is something that God calls us to do from within our own hearts. It is an act of obedience and love that frees us from carrying that heavy weight of anger and releasing that hurt to God. God gives us wisdom and boundaries, but that doesn’t mean that we cannot forgive from a distance, praying for the other person or people, and trusting that God is sovereign and has a plan and a reason for everything that happens.
Stay faithful <3
Kenn
