Why is forgiveness so hard? Why do we find it so easy to just walk away or to get mad at people around us? I have talked with many people over the years, and heard countless stories…people often say “Well, i would forgive, but you just don’t understand what they did…” or “They just hurt me too badly”. Sisters, I’m here to tell you, there is NOTHING too big or bad that has happened that is worth holding onto. Unforgiveness in your life leads to bitterness, discontentment, and rage. Holding onto that stuff only hurts you, the other person, and most importantly it’s goes against how God says we are supposed to live our life in His Word.
In Colossians 3:12, it says,
“Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
It is true that sometimes forgiveness is something that you have to work through and something that is a process. It’s something that we need the Lords help with, but thankfully He is always there to help us through any situation. He doesn’t want your heart to be hurt, and he doesn’t want you holding onto the offense either.
A good judge of how to know if you have truly released something is to ask yourself how do you feel when that persons name is brought up? Do you still feel uptight and angry? Or have you truly released it and let it go? Until you can honestly say that you aren’t holding a grudge or feeling any hostility inside, then you need to continue asking the Lord for His help. The other thing I have done is to act completely the opposite of how I feel acting. If someone has upset me, I go out of my way to do something nice for them, whether it be sending a card with something nice to say, or buying them a coffee. I make myself purposely do something nice for them even when I may not want to. Pretty soon, my attitude starts to change and I forget what I was mad about to begin with because I begin to focus on the positives.
Remember, life is too short to hold onto unforgiveness or offense in our relationships with others. So, let today be the day that you let it go!
