Forgiveness is defined as the action or process of forgiving or being forgiven. It is an act that can require much at times from the person doing the forgiving and the person asking to be forgiven. Forgiveness can be one of the hardest things we’ve ever had to do. Truly forgiving someone for the hurt they have caused us is not something that comes natural to us as human beings. We usually want the person to pay and we want to make them remember the pain they caused us. We believe this will make us feel better, but it doesn’t heal us. The longer we withhold forgiveness the more it weighs us down.
I have faced three areas where the issue of forgiveness has kept me from receiving God’s blessings. One, when I can’t forgive others for something they have done to me. Two, when I can’t ask forgiveness of others for something I’ve done wrong. Three, when I can’t forgive myself for mistakes of the past. I think we can all relate to these three areas and may be dealing with one of them right now.
Forgiving others is something we are called to do in Scripture. Matthew 6:15 (NLT) says, “But if you refuse to forgive others, our Father will not forgive your sins.” Colossians 3:13 (NLT) adds, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” Even though we read it in scripture and we know it’s the right thing to do we struggle with it. That is understandable because many of us have suffered some significant pain because of the actions of someone else.
This pain could have been mental or physical, the bottom line is it hurt you. So you ask the question, am I truly supposed to forgive this person? The answer is yes because it’s the only way you can truly heal and move forward. Your forgiving the other person will allow your heart to be free, the burden lifted and the Spirit will be able to work in you. As it says in Psalms 147:3 (NLT), “He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”
Asking forgiveness from others is another thing we must do for true healing. When we have hurt others, caused them emotional or physical pain, we have to ask for their forgiveness. This is hard for us because it means admitting guilt. Many times we haven’t faced the hard reality that we hurt someone else, that our actions caused pain and suffering for another person. Sometimes that’s a reality we just aren’t prepared to face. But we must face it, repent for it and ask forgiveness.
The toughest one for many of us is forgiving ourselves for past mistakes we’ve made. At times in our lives we have done things we are not proud of and they caused hurt to others. Even after we repent, and ask that other person for forgiveness, we still have the huge task of forgiving ourselves. This battle is largely fought in our minds. It’s in our minds where we can’t comprehend how God could still love us with what we’ve done. As we look at it from a human perspective it just doesn’t seem possible. That is the key, we can’t look at it from a human perspective. To forgive ourselves we have to remember Jesus died on the cross to take our sins away so we wouldn’t have to feel this continuous guilt for past mistakes.
If you are struggling with giving forgiveness, asking for forgiveness or forgiving yourself, today is the day to release that burden. Today is the day to truly start forgiving that person who hurt you. Today is the day to ask the person you hurt for their forgiveness. Today is the day to forgive yourself for whatever you’ve done in the past. God loves you and has already forgiven you!
Truth in Love! ~ Chuck