- We can hold it over their head. – Somehow we have allowed ourselves to be convinced that withholding forgiveness gives us power over the person who hurt us. That is a Lie! An unforgiving heart is not empowered, It’s imprisoned!
- Withholding forgiveness legitimizes my hurt. – No. It doesn’t. It only lengthens your hurt.
- They should suffer for what they did to me. – Ummm, I don’t know how to tell you this, but… They probably haven’t given it another thought. How much time have you wasted meditating on their crime and your pain?
Finally, when I got up to sing the song of response, I let it go, laid the rock down at the alter. I’d held it long enough that I could describe it in detail. I could go back later and among all the rocks, I could tell you which one was mine. The thought came to me after the final song to go back and pick it up. THAT would have been a mistake. I would not have wanted to answer the question later.
“What’cha doin’ with that rock?”
I would have answered honestly. “It is a reminder to me of the bad things people have done to me. And how I need to forgiven them.”
“Well, if you’ve forgiven them, then why do you want to be reminded about what they’ve done?”
…good question
Father, help me to forgive as you did. The same death you died on the cross for me is given to the ones who have hurt me. I have no room to stand and judge anyone. Thank you for forgiving me. I celebrate your forgiveness and pass it on to those whom I need to forgive.
Where do you stand on the subject of forgiveness? Have you been restored after a broken relationship?
