HOW DO YOU FORGIVE SOMEONE AS A CHRISTIAN?
"I've been hurt so much." If you've found yourself feeling this way, please know that you aren't alone. Life isn't fair and it leaves a lot of us troubled and upset. In addition, lots of people have written about it. Please see this as a more specific take on forgiving and forgetting as you should, as a Christian.
To get a complete grasp on the importance of forgiveness, we must first fully understand exactly what it does to us when we aren't able to forgive. The number one thing that it does is that it leaves us with bitter hearts. We seep with anger in which we may not even realize that we have allowed apart of ourselves to change. We've not only allowed someone to break our hearts, but we've let them keep the pieces.
We've heard the expression, "The person you won't forgive is sleeping at night." We also know that it really doesn't help to know that. In some cases it even makes you more irritated. When you carry this weight around here is what it can cause: ulcers, anger, wrinkled face, bitterness, unhappiness, inability to have children to name a few problems that you can face. To add insult to injury, some of us even get mad at a person for creating the "situation" of us having to seek out remedies. Isn't life hard enough without people adding things on top of that?
As a Christian, it is so very conflicting to our faith, what we believe in, who we are - to carry bitterness and frustrations. So, how do we move past the hurt? I've personally reached out to multiple religious leaders and was ignored by each one of them about this topic. That's all good. I prayed on it and wished that the lord would show me the way. Many, many months passed before I was invited to a seminar, at a church about forgiveness.
Now that I have made some type of headway, I'm going to share with you. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert and I will be basically repeating what I've been blessed to receive.
It seems so obvious to know that :
I love you. Please find the peace that you seek. I'm on this journey with you.
To get a complete grasp on the importance of forgiveness, we must first fully understand exactly what it does to us when we aren't able to forgive. The number one thing that it does is that it leaves us with bitter hearts. We seep with anger in which we may not even realize that we have allowed apart of ourselves to change. We've not only allowed someone to break our hearts, but we've let them keep the pieces.
We've heard the expression, "The person you won't forgive is sleeping at night." We also know that it really doesn't help to know that. In some cases it even makes you more irritated. When you carry this weight around here is what it can cause: ulcers, anger, wrinkled face, bitterness, unhappiness, inability to have children to name a few problems that you can face. To add insult to injury, some of us even get mad at a person for creating the "situation" of us having to seek out remedies. Isn't life hard enough without people adding things on top of that?
As a Christian, it is so very conflicting to our faith, what we believe in, who we are - to carry bitterness and frustrations. So, how do we move past the hurt? I've personally reached out to multiple religious leaders and was ignored by each one of them about this topic. That's all good. I prayed on it and wished that the lord would show me the way. Many, many months passed before I was invited to a seminar, at a church about forgiveness.
Now that I have made some type of headway, I'm going to share with you. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert and I will be basically repeating what I've been blessed to receive.
It seems so obvious to know that :
- If you are of the lord and filled with him, you must be as he is. We all know that the lord is forgiving. Jesus died for our sins. Our foul, foul sins. If we are representing Jesus, we must forgive others as he has forgiven us. It isn't about your feelings, it's about your vow to serve. If you are saved, you've made a promise to the lord.
- Realize that we have all sinned. Just as you are sitting hurt because of someone's remarks or actions, you have inflicted this same pain to someone else. That's just how life is. We are imperfect. We screw up then we MUST resolve it and move on.
- Let your pride and ego go. You're going to change your heart, who you are because of your pride? You're worried about someone saying "You let them get away with that? You're a dormat. You're stupid." None of that is worth burning in HELL for. Forgive.
- We may have moments when the people you will not forgive, needs you. There is something that churns in you and will not allow you to aid them. What if Jesus cut you loose over a mistake or flaw? We're so quick to call someone we're mad at sick or mean. Just cut it out. It's so much easier to love and forgive than to be orchestrating the work it takes to cut someone loose.
I love you. Please find the peace that you seek. I'm on this journey with you.