It’s already Summer! My devotions and prayerful times have been challenging me to forgive. FORGIVE!!! Honestly, sometimes I don’t want to. Sometimes, I want to hold onto the my negative feelings towards others because, well, because it’s just not fair!
The Bible has a way of speaking right at you, putting a finger right on the spot that you’d rather avoid. That’s how it’s been for me the last couple weeks. Every devotion, every chapter of the Bible, every inspirational speaker seemed to be talking right at me and to my thoughts. I had put the word ” FORGIVE” at the top of my 2012 new year’s resolution. It really should be every year, but this year I’d had some disappointments that hurt. In the past, I’ve publicly posted my new year’s resolution. It’s a great way to hold my feet to the fire, knowing I’ve put it out there for all to see. I wanted to post my list this past January, too, but just couldn’t ’cause I wasn’t ready to forgive. I know that’s not nice, but it’s honest. Each time I wanted to let go of the negative feelings, I’d just pick them right back up again. Why post something like that unless you mean it?
I read a scripture this week that said, “Dear Friends, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.” 1 John 3: 18. Ouch! That hits the spot! It says in Matthew 6: 14 “If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” I know I have plenty of faults in need of God’s forgiveness but, when I read Matthew 6:14, I started thinking, are there others that I haven’t forgiven and have just gotten use to that old bitter feeling? I sat and thought and made a mental list. Forgiveness is a choice and it’s something that may have to be done daily until the hurt is healed. It is my New Year’s Resolution to change the way I think, forgiving those that have offended me, and in turn to receive God’s forgiveness.
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