Sunday, May 30, 2010
Whether Or Not We Want To
There are things in life that we must do whether we want to or not. The same is so when we choose to follow Christ. I believe that the two hardest things that we must do when we become Christians are to love and to forgive. I know, I know.... ouch, right? Yes these two things hurt so much sometimes to do. However if we can 'zoom out' (my new catch phrase) and see things from a broader perspective, these two things can become something we might be able to do.
I have had many things happen to me in my life that put some people under the spotlight of unforgiveness. I held onto that unforgiveness for a long time and on some level, it became my identity. It put a wrench in my success every time. I'd always bring it up and use it as a reason to fail, to give up, to turn away. Time after time I did this and I told myself it was fine because that's what any reasonable person would do, in fact, that's what everyone should do! Boy, was I wrong.
After studying God's word, I realized that this forgiveness was something that I really needed to wrap my head around and try to do. Now, you can say, 'I forgive you' and still harbor all the bad feelings in your heart. You can say, 'I forgive you, but I will never forget'--you're still harboring those bad feelings. True forgiveness, I found out, is a gift that you give to yourself. Although it doesn't feel like it's for you when you first take the action, it is truly something that can change your life immensely.
Once I allowed myself to understand God's love for me, how He could forgive me for the things I've done. How He sent His Son to die for me, I started to really 'get it'. I HAVE TO forgive everyone and I HAVE TO forgive them completely. We are all God's children. We don't always make the right decisions. We are ALL guilty. God wants us all to come home and I don't think we want to get there squabbling in the back seat. I think that no matter how big the offense, when you compare it to the level of our God, it's..... nothing. Remember, 'zoom out'.
I have had many things happen to me in my life that put some people under the spotlight of unforgiveness. I held onto that unforgiveness for a long time and on some level, it became my identity. It put a wrench in my success every time. I'd always bring it up and use it as a reason to fail, to give up, to turn away. Time after time I did this and I told myself it was fine because that's what any reasonable person would do, in fact, that's what everyone should do! Boy, was I wrong.
After studying God's word, I realized that this forgiveness was something that I really needed to wrap my head around and try to do. Now, you can say, 'I forgive you' and still harbor all the bad feelings in your heart. You can say, 'I forgive you, but I will never forget'--you're still harboring those bad feelings. True forgiveness, I found out, is a gift that you give to yourself. Although it doesn't feel like it's for you when you first take the action, it is truly something that can change your life immensely.
Once I allowed myself to understand God's love for me, how He could forgive me for the things I've done. How He sent His Son to die for me, I started to really 'get it'. I HAVE TO forgive everyone and I HAVE TO forgive them completely. We are all God's children. We don't always make the right decisions. We are ALL guilty. God wants us all to come home and I don't think we want to get there squabbling in the back seat. I think that no matter how big the offense, when you compare it to the level of our God, it's..... nothing. Remember, 'zoom out'.
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