Forgiveness = Freedom

In my last post we talked about letting go of negativity, sins, and things holding us down and being free in Christ. Sometimes, in order to let go, we must learn to forgive. Forgiveness doesn't come easy, and more often than not, takes time.

But just why exactly should you forgive someone who has hurt you or sinned against you? Better yet, what if they don't even want your forgiveness?

It's pretty simple. The answer is freedom.

Forgiveness = Freedom

Sometimes we find ourselves so emotionally connected to people we have no desire to be emotionally connected with because we're harboring pain they have inflicted on us and we carry it around like an accessory. The more we hurt, the more we hate what they have done, the more entangled with them our hearts become. You can't stop thinking about it and it begins to consume you. If someone is hateful towards you, whether you want to admit it or not, somewhere deep down, it hurts. The most harmful thing you can do with that pain is to carry it around with you. Not only does it lead to problems in your own life, but you'll inevitably spread it to others. 

Hurt people hurt people.

Let that sink in.

So what can you do to be free of this pain? Forgive. 

Forgiveness is incredibly powerful. Think about it: how much easier is it to dislike someone who has hurt you, than to forgive them and love them? So don't look at forgiveness as spineless passivity. Look at forgiveness as a powerful, divine, strength. Why divine? Because our flesh can't truly forgive on it's own. It requires the love of Christ within us to truly forgive and let go. 

Our greatest example of forgiveness, after all, is Jesus himself. When he created perfect, sinless, humans for the purpose of loving and worshiping Him, we spit in His face by sinning against Him. If Jesus had responded like our flesh does, it would have been much easier for Him to hate our sin and laugh as we got everything we deserved. But, in His perfect holiness, He forgave our unjustified sins and gave Himself as our sacrifice to live eternally with Him. That's some incredible power and love right there!

So find the strength inside to say no to the hate. Ask God to help you forgive, even when it feels better to laugh at their karma. Once you take the first steps, He will soften your heart, and in time, you'll realize that you truly have let it go. It isn't an overnight solution. It begins with a willing heart and ends in complete freedom.

L e t  g o ,  f o r g i v e ,  e x p e r i e n c e  f r e e d o m .

It is the most satisfying feeling. I promise that the joy and freedom you will feel after you've truly forgiven will be 100 times better than the joy you may have in welcoming their failure.

Forgiveness isn't about how you feel. It is about willing your flesh to obey Christ's commands to forgive. T a k e   b a b y   s t e p s .  It starts with willing yourself to forgive.

Will it and you will feel it.