Tuesday, November 21, 2017

Forgiving for Yourself 2/1/16

Forgiving for yourself
Some may find this to be a hard concept to grasp. I know people personally who believe that forgiving someone who doesn’t “deserve” it, let’s them “get away” with it. I used to believe this idea, too. What I didn’t realize was that until I forgave someone, it ate away at me. That person was constantly in my thoughts and that bothered me. Why would I want to even think about this person?! I’m mad at them!
I’ve also learned to forgive myself and give myself grace. This is an idea we learned in Reboot. My husband needed to forgive himself for what happened down range. He had to forgive himself for his behavior which lead him to ask for forgiveness for how that reflected onto us.
I’ve witnessed people forgive their molesters, wrong-doers, and just people you wouldn’t even think deserved to be forgiven.. But that’s the power of forgiveness. In those moments, I’ve witnessed healing.. I’ve seen people made whole again simply because they decided to forgive and let go. They didn’t necessary call the wrong-doer or look them in the eye. It’s more of an internal process. Harboring those ill feeling in your heart can really taint your outlook. I know it did that for myself with my own experiences and my husband’s with his deployment experiences.
Last night, we watched War Room at church and man, it made me thankful that I’ve forgiven people in my life. I would hate to die or for someone to die believing that I still harbored this animosity toward them. The crazy thing about that, though, is half the time when we haven’t forgiven someone, that person is living their life as if nothing happened yet here we are wrestling with this situation. Sometimes you have to forgive someone who could care less or who isn’t even sorry for what they’ve done.. That takes some major grace on your part. This has been a new concept for me.. Here I am, in my earthly thinking, wondering why on earth should I forgive someone when they don’t even believe that what they’ve done was completely and utterly wrong?! Because God has already forgiven them. He gave His only son to die on the cross for our sins. Ugh. So, that’s why…
My thoughts: is there someone in your life who you need to forgive? Maybe there is someone you need to ask for forgiveness? Or possibly you made need to forgive yourself and allow some grace? Whatever the case may be, forgive and continue walking along side me on this crazy road to healing and happiness!
Prayer: Father, forgive us for our sins. Help us to forgive those who have hurt us. Help us all to see your grace and compassion. Heal us from the hurt and help us let go of the past. Lead us to you and let our life reflect that of your son. In your name, I pray, amen!

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