Early in my Christian walk I
thought forgiveness was easy. Friends ask for forgiveness and I give it. Simple
as that. But as my journey progressed I learned that forgiveness is not so
easily given or obtained. As one who has been hurt many times through the years
and held many a grudge, I’ve come to realize forgiveness is a process. One in
which I cannot do alone. I think most would agree that human nature is to “live and learn”. And so when I get hurt my
natural instinct is to be more cautious and careful the next time around, shielding
my heart from the pain that inevitably follows a betrayal.
But the Lord calls us to live
beyond our natural instincts.
Colossians 3:13 says to forgive as the Lord
has forgiven us. And in Matthew 18 when
Peter asks Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother the Lord replies,
“I tell you not seven times, but seventy-seven times”. But you and I both know
that is easier said than done. When I am
betrayed by those I love the wound is that much deeper. And if the wound is
poked and prodded it will often leave a scar. Throughout my journey to
forgiveness I’ve found in Matthew 26 that Jesus himself has been betrayed. By
one of the twelve. The twelve he spent most of his days with were as close as
any family He had. These were His
friends, His family, and His beloved.
I am comforted knowing that the
Lord Almighty through His son Jesus knows by firsthand experience how I feel in
the midst of betrayal. He understands the humiliation, the loneliness, the
anger, the bitterness and the reluctance to trust again. He’s been there. And
so when I go to my Father with a heavy heart, I hand over the hurt to the
ultimate healer and beg to be merciful in loving those who have caused me pain
just as Christ has done for us. In closing, I challenge you to begin your own
journey to forgiveness with the Lord and let Him restore you completely.
**This article was originally published on the World Bible School Blog. That blog is no longer functioning so I wanted to share this article with my followers here. Enjoy and may you be encouraged.
Thanks for sharing this! Forgiving others is so important! I am trying to teach this concept with my kids. When one apologizes the other knows to say "I forgive you." I'm trying to teach them that forgiving is just as important as apologizing.
ReplyDeleteIt is so hard to want to forgive when we feel betrayed but you are right- we are called to forgive. Jesus was betrayed more than anyone and he forgave.
You're welcome. Teaching our children to forgive is difficult because all they understand is that their feelings are hurt.
DeleteBut that is why it is hard for us as well. It's a process of choosing to love and let go. Remember when we read Karen Kingsbury's novel Redemption? "Love is a decision"... no matter what circumstances you find yourself in.
It's never easy when relationships are broken but the Lord can put the pieces back together again if we let Him :)
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