Forgive to Heal
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
(Colossians 3:13 NLT)
In general, we should always forgive! This isn’t to say that you deserved the way they wronged you, but rather to set you free from the bitterness and hurt that comes with holding the grudge.
Throughout my whole life, I’ve been hurt by many, but I too… have hurt many. When someone wrongs me, I become bitter and easily irritable with that person. Everything they do is upsetting and one little thing can set me off, but why am I allowing myself to feel this way? Why am I dwelling on this and allowing it to steal my joy?
In my past, I had someone very close to me hurt me in ways I couldn’t even describe. I began to hate this person with a passion and detached myself from them. What they did and said caused a lot of trauma and insecurities within myself that reflected onto my future relationships. The thing that hurt me the most was that this person didn’t even know how badly they hurt me. When I came to Christ 3 years ago, I prayed to God to help me forgive and understand why these things happened the way they did. He revealed to me, “Hurt people, hurt people.” I didn’t understand it at first.
As I continued to pray about it, I was given a new perspective and understanding of why I needed to forgive this person. It wasn’t like they were begging me to forgive them so they can move forward with their life. It was so I can move forward with mine and allow healing to happen. It’s not easy to forgive, it’s definitely easier said than done. If we continue to hold a grudge against everyone who wrongs us, it’s us who will hurt more. Don’t let these wrong doings rob you of your joy, most of all don’t self-sabotage.
Jesus has blessed me with the strength to forgive this person and all those who have hurt me. Jesus just wants us to heal and become stronger. Choose love over hate and forgiveness over bitterness!
Questions to ponder:
Is there someone who's hurt you, that you have a difficult time forgiving?
Has this affected your joy?
Will you choose love over hate and forgiveness over bitterness?
(If you’re having a tough time forgiving this person, I encourage you to do it for yourself. You deserve to find healing and to be happy.)
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.”
(Romans 5:3-4 NLT)
