What do you do when people mistreat you?
Do you get angry and bitter? Overly emotional?
Or do you reach somewhere, to some source of cool tranquil water and pull out a bucket of Mercy to free yourself?
There is no emotion that keeps us in bondage more, then the unwilliness to forgive. Yourself, and others.
I use to hear these words and say to myself…Sure, I forgive..I just don’t forget! And I truly believed there was a difference! Who was I trying to fool? Apparently, myself!
This was a very wrong attitude to have. When Christ forgives us, he is not thinking about the wrong any longer… which would line right up with forgetting. Jesus forgives & forgets, and that is the right attitude to have.
Once we ‘truly’ forgive someone, we need to wipe the slate clean and forget it entirely. If we still find ourselves bitter, and thinking about it, then we have not forgiven them entirely.
1 Corinthians 13:5-says that LOVE keeps no records of wrongs. And by with holding our love from anyone who has hurt us in the past, or present..We ARE keeping a record of their wrongs.
Jesus does not do this, so why do we?
Why is so easy to be upset when it is so utterly amazing to be happy and have JOY in our hearts. Love is so Amazing!
I suppose we choose not to forgive because we have a fear deep inside our hearts, that we will get hurt again. And you know what?
WE WILL! But that is OK!
It is not a matter of getting hurt that is the problem. The matter is getting hurt, and what we do with that hurt, which develops our Character. Our relationship with the Christ.
Try not to get on the roller coaster of resentment and anger. All it does is make you immune to feelings or Love. It also builds such a wall around your heart.. that makes it impossible for Christs LOVE to shine through, and to let others love you.
You need to be the one who says, “Yes, they mistreated me, but I am going to be like Christ. I will be the one who says, “Forgive them father, for they know not what they’re doing” Luke 23:34
You may find that you need to keep saying and claiming this verse.. over and over again. JUST DO IT! The bible says that Gods word will never come back void..Isaiah 55:11
Have you such little Faith, to think otherwise?
I try to always apply the first step, that is- seeing everyone around me as humans. Humans that are capable of hurting me and even destroying my spirit, or at least trying too. BUT–People are not a source of hurt. Their actions are.
Jesus treats us with Mercy….he became one with us, he felt as we feel, he understood our frustrations. And as the result, he hung on the cross, looked at them, and then to the father and said, “Forgive them father, they know not what they do.”
WOW! that is AMAZING!
When you forgive someone, you are as close to Christ as you ever will be, because in that forgiveness you are demonstrating the VERY HEART of God!!
Forgive us father when we hesitate to extend Grace to others…
