We all have to deal with it.
Releasing it brings freedom, only good things come from experiencing it, but sometimes we refuse to submit and we cling to it like a two-year-old hoarding a piece of candy.
Forgiveness. I have forgotten the number of times I have unofficially coached people to dig deep and forgive someone.
Here at 7 Days Time, it has been quite the topic for discussion. We have an entire page in our Scripture Library dedicated to forgiveness. We have multiple blogs about forgiving ourselves, finding the faith to forgive, and even forgiving in the little, tiny, everyday moments.
Funny thing is, as much as I preach it and write about it, God still places this forgiveness issue on my own heart.
Because I have to do it too. That is why this series is called “Practicing what we preach.”
If you are just tuning in, let’s just say this whole experience is a work in progress.
One of the major cornerstones of our Christian faith is the fact that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on our cross for OUR sins. Not His sins, OURS. Through that act of unfathomable love, we have the opportunity to be forever forgiven by the Lord without trying to “pay our dues” with a goat, a young bull calf and 16 doves like they did in the Old Testament.
I could probably write a book about the big and small moments of forgiveness (and, ahem, unforgiveness) I have experienced in my Christian walk.
But God showed me quick, fast and in a hurry how much bondage unforgiveness involves. Unforgiveness has incredible power over us.
However, forgiving has that power ten-fold.
Think to yourself for a moment about those in your life who you may need to forgive. (If you are really motivated, take some time to pray and ask God to reveal those people to you.) Consider those who you have already forgiven. How do you feel when you think about them? Are you filled with peace? Or are you like me and sometimes surprised to know that a person that we “thought” we forgave still holds that stomach-burning, heart-aching, brain-churning power over us?
When we are faced with practicing what we preach in the area of forgiving, there are a few different ways to approach it.
1. Pray. Seriously. Trust God to make forgiveness possible, regardless of the size of hurt.
2. Release your expectations. Sometimes we (ok, I) have expectations when I forgive someone… Like I will no longer feel hurt by them or our relationship will be 100% restored. Yes, God can sure do this, but sometimes the damage will take a while to repair. The only expectation we should have when giving or seeking forgiveness is that God will release us. We are only in control of our own actions.
3. Make the first move. We are SO good at saying, “Well it was HER fault!!! Why should I apologize!?!” Guess what, friend? That is our flesh (coupled with the enemy) talking. What if Jesus said that on the cross? We would be in a HEAP of trouble, right? Live this truth– I once made the sincere effort to apologize to a friend from high school who literally broke my teenage heart (it was a best friend, not a boy friend, just FYI.) She had said some horribly mean things about me, but the loss of our relationship ate at me for years. Like 7 years. But when I finally sucked up my pride, contacted her and apologized for whatever I did to hurt our relationship, the door was opened for peace, freedom and redemption.
4. Get your Elsa on and LET IT GO. Once we say the words with a sincere heart, we have to let it go. God will do the rest of the work. My husband is great at this. He always reminds me that through Christ, we have the ability to forgive. However, we don’t always have to forget or trust that individual again (unless of course God prompts us to.)
Do you struggle with forgiving others? In what ways? How what steps can you take to make it right and gain freedom through practicing what we preach? You know I love to hear from you– leave a comment below.
Be bold, my friend. God will help us, equip us and nudge us to practice what we preach– especially in as we forgive others. Why? Because God has already forgiven us.
Forgiven in Him,
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” ~Matthew 6:14-15 NIV
Linking up today with Kelli via Unforced Rhythms, Laura at Playdates with God, Joan’s Beauty in His Grip, Jen over at Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood, and Hazel via Tell Me a Story. Be sure to join our #EverydayJesus link-up community right here at 7 Days Time every Thursday!
