A Thought About Forgiveness

Ever notice how heavy a little baby can get after you've been carrying him/her for a little while. A few minutes is no problem but after an hour your arms get really tired. Carrying a baby all day long is completely  exhausting. That baby weighs the same from the minute you pick it up to the time you put it down but the longer you carry that child the heavier it feels.

Holding a grudge against someone works very much the same way....it can get so heavy that it can actually immobilize you; it can stop you from living.

The fact is that the longer you are on this earth the more you are at risk of getting hurt by others. It's going to happen. It is inevitable unless you hide away from relationships with everyone around you.

Sometimes people hurt you and they don't even realize that they have done it. They would probably feel badly to think they had upset you or acted in an insensitive way.  But what about those people who do deliberately try to hurt you. It is sad, but, there will be people like that in your life.....if you live in the real world that is.

The first thing you need to do in either situation is to confront your feelings. If you know it was unintentional then get over it. Life is just too short.  If it was unintentional then it's not really about you.  Leave it behind and move on.

But what about when it is intentional.  That is a bit harder to deal with; a little harder to just 'get over,' often because the pain is so deep, it's harder to forgive. That's when you need to pray. The Bible says, "Pray for those who mistreat you" (Luke 6:28 NIV). When you do that something unexpected happens; your heart softens and you start seeing them through God's eyes instead of your own raw emotions.

Praying for them may even open a door into their hurts and pains; the circumstances that cause them to lash out at and purposely try to hurt others. We are all products of our circumstances to the degree we allow them to take us over. Some how we need to let go and forgive.

Jesus said, "If you have anything against someone, forgive - only then will your Heavenly Father… wipe your slate clean" (Mark 11:25 TM). When you sow unforgiveness you reap unforgiveness - even from God!

Forgiveness really is more for your own benefit than it is for the person you are forgiving anyway. That grudge, over time, will only grow heavier and heavier and if you allow it to weigh you down, eventually it may turn you into an even more miserable and bitter person than the one who tried to hurt you in the first place.

To forgive someone doesn't mean you are saying what they did was ok, you are not condoning what they have done, nor are you saying that there shouldn't be consequences and/or punishment for the offense, you are simply releasing yourself of any bitterness and the weight of holding a grudge; you are saying that you refuse to let that person or situation bring you down any further.

The Bible says in Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." So throw off the burdens and don't let the weight of unforgiveness keep you down. Life will be a whole lot easier without it.
That's all I want to say about that for now