"Love….keeps no record of wrongs.” ~ 1 Corinthians 13:5 (NIV)“God doesn’t keep a record of our sins” ~ Psalm 130:3 (NIV)
Recently I had some dialogue with a good friend of mine about forgiveness. The commentary was interesting and made me take an introspective look at my own personal experience and challenges with forgiveness.
What I do know is forgiveness is not easy. It takes a great deal of fortitude and faithfulness, just like any other change for the better. If you are starting a new exercise regimen, it may be painful and will require daily effort. No pain, no gain. If you can endure the short term pain, you will benefit from the long term results that you gain as a result of your daily effort. I kind of view forgiveness in the same way, it isn’t easy and people usually don’t want to do it. But when you do forgive, really forgive, you experience an inexplicable peace and freedom because you have released yourself from the bondage of your feelings.
What I had to learn about forgiveness is that just because I have forgiven someone doesn’t mean that I have to continue to engage in the same type of relationship with them. There is an old saying, “first time shame on you, second time shame on me”, which means the same behavior has happened more than once. Perhaps I didn’t do a good job teaching them how to treat me the first time it happened, or they really don’t care how I feel about how they are treating me. Either way I need to forgive them for what happened and decide on what level I will continue to interact with them going forward, if I interact with them at all.
More importantly I had to learn that forgiveness was really for me and not the person that offended me.
“God forgives us if we forgive others.” ~ Mark 11:25 (NIV)
“Forgive others as Christ forgave you.” ~ Ephesians 4:32 (NIV)
The circle of life is about more than life and death, it is also about mercy and compassion.
Before I really understood the concept of forgiveness, I would often avoid the person and remove them from my life. But I noticed the same hurts and feelings that I experienced with that person would just show up in other areas of my life and with other people. It wasn’t until I was able to release that person AND forgive them that I fully received a level of peace that surpasses all understanding.
If we are to love others the way that Christ commanded us to, we must live a life of constant forgiveness. Even when someone cuts you off on the road, it's ok to have words for them, but those words should be God Bless you, not screw you.
If we are honest with ourselves we all fall short in one area or another, and He forgives us over and over again, even though we are not worthy. Let's make an effort to love like Christ and make forgiveness a routine part of our day. I know we will be glad we did!
Remember you are not alone.
Embrace and enjoy the journey...
God Bless!
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