Last week I heard the same message from 3 different sources that are totally unaware of the other two.
1. I reconnected over Facebook with a former classmate. She shared with me a testimony about a godly man whose personal perspective caused her to lose the joy that God intends. She learned through that process that for her own benefit she needed to intentionally forgive him in order to get beyond it.
2. Another friend posted a little story about the "little red wagon" that we all carry behind us where we store all the emotional baggage of what people do to us.
3. I watched a movie on Lifetime Movie Network (I usually avoid this channel which I have nicknamed "the man bashing channel") about the incomprehensible grace that the Amish community in Pennsylvania showed toward the family of the man who invaded their school and shot several of their children.
All of these reminded me that FORGIVENESS affects the person choosing to forgive as much (more?) than the person receiving forgiveness.
In small groups and classes that you lead, are you helping your participants to experience that blessing or do you subtly allow them to hold on to their victim status?
If Jesus was able to choose to forgive those who crucified him (including you and me whose sins put him on that cross), isn't it reasonable to expect us to let go of the hurtful things people have done to us?
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Lk 23:34.)
Is your small group/class a place where you spray air freshner to cover-up the stench of negativity or is it a place where the attitudes that cause the stench are dealt with and removed?
Amen, Pastor Dave. Many of the struggles I faced in my adult life stemmed from the unforgiveness I had toward my parents for the choices they made when I was a child. This unforgiveness festered and became anger and bitterness. It did little in the way of inflicting any punishment on them, but it left me in a place where, as an adult, I ended up making choices that hurt those I love most. Only through total forgiveness was I set free and able to rebuild my own relationships.
ReplyDeleteIts easy to recognize that we must forgive for the major hurts we feel in life. What we must do on purpose every day is choose forgiveness (it is a choice, NOT a feeling!) for the little hurts and offenses we experience on a daily basis. We must rely on the God's strength and the fruit of His Spirit already in us to live this out each day. This is how we can walk in freedom and follow the commandment to love one another.
To truly forgive someone from the heart is so relieving. But it is only by fruit of the spirit that it can be done. It is amazing how many times Christ not only demonstrated this but also shown us this practice in parables.
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