The Power of Forgiveness

 

"I would make him pay." These words have been spoken to me more than once and in more than one situation. And trust me, I get it. And trust me, I sometimes want to make somebody pay when they have wronged me or someone I love.

But, I bought a sweatshirt that says "I'm going to let God fix it because if I fix it, I'm going to jail". And I remind myself of that truth over and over so that I don't rush out and take vengeance.

Today, I am writing down the things I've learned about forgiveness so that when I need a fresh reminder, all I have to do is look back here. The biggest lesson I have learned is that forgiveness is not about the person who hurt me. It is about me. It is removing the chains that bind me to the pain and trauma and horror of what was inflicted upon me when I did not deserve any of it. And, boy does that give me a tiny glimpse of God and another way to feel a small amount of what Jesus did for me and all of us when He took on a horrendous punishment for something He didn't do. He took on pain and trauma and the horror of being totally cut off from the Father. That was forgiveness.

So, if somebody hurts me, what right do I have to hold on to the damage? Jesus let go of every bad thing I ever would do by suffering and dying. Therefore, I can follow His lead and do the same. And here is the best part... although forgiveness does not fix the sin of the other person and make their heart right with God (that is on them to sort out with Him), it does lift a huge, painful weight off of me! Forgiveness is freedom!

Let it go.

It's not just that we don't "make them pay". It is truly letting it go.

Let it go.

Let go of the pain.

Let go of the anger.

Let go of the anxiety.

Let go of the sorrow.

Let go of the self pity.

Let go of the shame.

Let go of the loss.

Let go of the memory as best as you can.

Let go of the constant thoughts about it.

Let it go.

I can't carry that heavy load, so I...

LET IT GO.

Forgive- I will not get back the money they stole or the time they stole or anything. When I let it all go, I set myself free of the damage inflicted upon me by holding on to something. My forgiveness does not justify the wrong done to me and it does not resolve the sin for that person. They have to get that stuff settled between them and God. Honestly, I wouldn't want to be in their shoes, having something so heavy and evil between me and God. Forgiveness isn't the same as saying "what you did is ok". What that person did is evil. Forgiveness removes those wretched chains from me and sets me free to live with joy and peace and comfort. What an amazing gift from an amazing Father.

Well, I believe everything I wrote, but I wrote it here so that I can remember it again in case I get busy remembering the bad stuff done to me. And by the way, this was all about forgiving, not forgetting because I have a brain and a memory so I can't forget stuff. That's why I said let go of the memory as best as you can. When I remember the bad stuff, I can choose to remember to let it go too.

Let it go.