Forgiveness is a Doozy

Forgiveness sounds good, but it’s not that easy to do. Usually behind the “I forgive you” is a painful offense. An offense that holds us prisoner as long as we let it. I know this all too well. There’s moments where forgiveness is simple and quick, but there’s also moments where it’s complicated and complex.

We’ve all heard the quote “not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die”. Sounds kinda silly, but it’s oh so true. You expect the other person to be miserable with you, but that never happens. The other person is living their life carefree. Meanwhile, you’re a hot mess!

That’s what unforgiveness does. It’s starts off as one little seed of offense and then it gradually grows into a root of bitterness and resentment. Not only in that relationship, but in every relationship. It eventually bleeds into every area of your life. It traps you. Not being able to forgive keeps you in that place of pain.

You can be so consumed with the offense you don’t even realize how much it has taken over your life. It controls every thought, every action, every word that you speak. It will ruin your life and rob you of any joy that you should have. We know life is short, but one way to definitely shorten it even more is to hold on to offense. Maybe not in the quantity of years, but the quality of the years that you have. Not forgiving someone not only hurts you in the moment, but also others around you start to feel the after effects of it. Revenge and grudges are how the world operates, but God’s way is different. We forgive so we can be forgiven.

Who has hurt you that you are having a hard time forgiving? I know in most situations you have every right to feel the way that you do. There’s no way of justifying what they have done to you, but can I challenge you to forgive them anyway? Not because they deserve it, but because you deserve to be free from the misery. It doesn’t let them off the hook, it allows you to move forward. Trust me when I say this isn’t easy, it’s actually really hard. Probably one of the hardest things you will ever do. However, let God avenge for you. He is the God of justice and the only Judge. He knows what they’ve done, so let Him do his job and you do yours…forgive!