Hey ya and welcome back to week 3 of “God Is ALWAYS Faithful!” If you guys may remember, last week we spoke about God’s mercy and grace, despite our being sinners. Today we will be discussing God’s forgiving nature versus our own, and what kinds of emotions come along with the assignment of forgiveness.
Before we begin with forgiveness, let’s quickly touch upon the idea of a “grudge.” What is a grudge and what kinds of feelings/emotions are attached to it? By definition, a grudge is a persistent feeling of resentment, anger, or bitterness toward someone as a result of a past insult, injury, wrong doing or harm, making it difficult to forgive the person responsible. Speaking for myself here…this is hard to talk about. Maya Angelou once said, “when someone shows you who they are, BELIEVE them.” And she was VERY right, because whether we like to admit it or not, some people can only be trusted to do one thing and one thing only…be THEMSELVES. Which in some cases can be heartbreaking because…well…they’re just…not very good people. Period.
The sad reality is that although we would love to be able to forgive and forget, some individuals carry “pharaoh” spirits. Meaning, they will concede in a moment of distress, make promises they know they don’t intend to keep, and then turn around and do the very thing they vowed not to do again. Hence, the idea…trust them to be themselves. These kinds of individuals make the assignment of forgiveness extremely challenging for those who are of a softer nature, because they prey on that kindness and mistake it for weakness. What I have personally learned throughout my journey is…the key is to forgive, NOT forget.
God calls us to forgive one another’s trespasses as we would like for Him to forgive us ours. HOWEVER, He does not call for us to be doormats to those who carry the “pharaoh” spirit. This is to say…we can forgive those who have wronged us, without allowing them access to be able to continue to hurt us moving forward. An example of this would be…someone in an abusive relationship. You can forgive the abuser for what they’ve done (forgiveness is for YOU, NOT them) but that DOES NOT mean, that you now have to subject yourself or put yourself in harms way by making yourself accessible to that person again. This in turn allows for you to walk in accordance to God’s will, while using discernment and wisdom in regards to how you handle this person moving forward.
God does not wish to see His children suffering, nor does He wish for us to allow others to mistreat us or degrade us for sport. We can choose to forgive the wrongdoings of those who hurt us, while still protecting OUR PEACE. Unfortunately, sometimes that means loving those people from afar (like…VERY FAR) despite who they are and the roles assigned to them (ex. mom, dad, sister, uncle, etc).
On the other hand, for those individuals who truly recognize the error of their ways, and are genuinely seeking forgiveness and reconciliation, the road to forgiveness is as follows: DO BETTER. We are not perfect beings and we never will be. We all make mistakes and sometimes we hurt people we love. However, when you become aware of your grievance and how you’ve affected the other person, it is essential to truly CHANGE THE PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOR. By taking accountability and responsibility for one’s actions (OWN YOUR STUFF), you now open the door to the possibility for change. How is that so you may ask. When you can acknowledge that you did something wrong, it makes it easier to start thinking of ways on how YOU CAN DO IT RIGHT. By shedding your pride, and recognizing that there is room for correction, you now in turn make room for growth. It is through growth, that one develops wisdom and discernment.
Hopefully the following scriptures will help further your idea of forgiveness, what it takes to be forgiven, and just how faithful our God truly is despite all of our shortcomings..
“If we [freely] admit that we have sinned and confess our sin, He is faithful and just [true to His own nature and promises], and will forgive our sins and cleanse us continually from all unrighteous [our wrongdoing, everything not in conformity with His will and purpose].” –1 John 1:9
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens and pays attention to you, you have won back your brother.” –Matthew 18:15
“And each man will no longer teach his neighbor and his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me [through personal experience], from the least of them to the greatest,” says the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness, and I will no longer remember their sin.” –Jeremiah 31:34
“Who is a God like You, who forgives wickedness And passes over the rebellious acts of the remnant of His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He [constantly] delights in mercy and lovingkindness.” –Micah 7:18
“and My people, who are called by My Name, humble themselves, and pray and seek (crave, require as a necessity) My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear [them] from heaven, and forgive their sin and heal their land.” –2 Chronicles 7:14
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. What can you do DIFFERENTLY today, that may bring about your desired outcome?
Leave a Reply