I've come across the conundrum of forgiveness lately. Why? Probably 'cuz I'm a lousy forgiver. Yeah, I tend towards waiting until I feel like it or until I feel like the person has shown true repentance and er, pain over the situation. But God's been working on me...interesting how He chips away at my stubborn heart...and I've been sorely (ouch) convicted by several verses lately...Ephesians 4:32 "Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you." This verse shows up everywhere in my life right now. It's freakin' me out!! So, I'm sitting up and paying attention. Yeah...AS CHRIST FORGAVE...wowsers...don't know about the rest of ya...but that hits me between the eyes. The only way that doesn't hit you is if you aren't fully in touch with how stinkin' sinful you really are...
Matthew 5;46-48 "If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect." Seriously, I've weighed forgiving people on whether I want/need them as a friend. Um, yeah...there's no saying I'm gonna be bosom buddies with everyone (or anyone)...but FORGIVENESS AND LOVE are COMMANDS.
Yeah, so being a woman...and a very *ahem, VOCAL one at that...I've been putting these new "aha moments" into practice lately. AND...it's painful. Sometimes I could just kick myself and invest in duct tape. You know that t- shirt, "Silence is Golden, Duct Tape is Silver"...yeah, it's on my Christmas wish list.
I'll warn ya...not everyone accepts your apology. Oh, they'll SAY they do...but it ain't the genuine article, folks. And if God opens my eyes to see...I realize my heart is often hard like that too. And that stinks...extraordinarily. But you know what's lovely amid the stench of hard hearts? I am right before God. He wants me to step up and be tenderhearted and forgive and strive towards being perfect like Him. And though I'll always fall painfully short....it is good (so good) to be able to say amid painful learning experiences that GOD IS MORE THAN ENOUGH FOR ME!!
14 comments:
Fantastic post.
Forgiveness can be such a hard assignment.
Happy WFW!
Beth
Bobbi!
This was incredible!! Thanks for being so transparent and sharing the struggle we all face at times.
I'll rememeber this word.
God's grace will be there for us when we ask for it.
Blessings to you my friend♥
I am chuckling along in sympathy and empathy as I read. One of the things that helps me is that if I forgive them and get it over and done with ...they cease to have rent free space in my head and heart.
While I do not forgive and stew about it......and give them head and heart room, they are out having a ball and not giving me a thought.
So now I forgive to set me free.....if they do not want it, bother them but I am free and they are not having rent free space in my head or heart.
Can so relate to what you've written. Forgiveness can be challenging. Your honesty is refreshing.
It's a reminder we all need for sure. I have those times too, the "'freakin me out" reminders repeating everywhere I turn. Love that the Lord loves us that much...He'll never let go of us!
Forgiveness is definately one of the hardest lessons we have to learn!
Tremendous sharing. This lifted me much! Love all your cute kid photos and activites/sharing with that also, both here and on your other blog.
Very interesting post and loved the photo and all the inspirational Bible verses. God taught me years ago that it's a choice we must make, regardless of what the recipient does with it - that's between them and God. But that doesn't mean it's easy for me. It's one of those lessons we learn, then we learn again, and again, like right now. Thanks for the good encouragement :) Have a blessed Word-Filled Week.
Great post, Bobbi...my duct tape is nearby...I never know when I will slip up....
Oh, forgiveness is a journey I have been on lately as well. So glad to see I am not alone! Great verses, Bobbi!
The biggest help for me in forgiveness was realizing it's not based on the other person -- the magnitude of what they did, whether they're sorry enough, whether they "deserve" it, etc. -- but it is based on God's forgiveness of me and the fact that whatever anyone else has done to me, it's not as great as my sin against Him, a la the parable of the servant who wouldn't forgive a small debt when he had been forgiven a much greater one in Matt. 18:23-35.
Hey girl...
I'm a day late this week...but WOWZER this was good for ANY day! So true and something we ALL must face...forgiveness. I read recently that until we understand how we hurt God and He forgives, we'll never be able to forgive...until we get to the depths of forgiveness...
whew, good stuff...
Happy THURSDAY!
peace,
lori
2 books I have read recently have been a light to me--I guess that is how I can put it. Amish Grace (the story of the Amish forgiving the shooter's family for killing their kids), and a book by Immaculee Ilibagia called Left to Tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Holocaust (she forgive those who killed her family, her friends, and they killed 1 million of her countrymen. We watched a movie this week too about Pope John Paul II's life in Poland before becoming a Pope called Karol: the man who became Pope it shows how he forgave what the Natzi's did to his family and friends and how he practiced real love---all of these things have been real concrete examples to me of what it means to forgive. We also watched the Inn of the Sixth Happiness a true story about Gladys Alward (sp?) who was a missionary to China. Her example of longsuffering love is what caused the Manderine to come to Christ. Then a friend of mine reminded me of Elizabeth Elliot and the way she forgave and ministered to those who killed her husband and Corre Ten Boom and her forgiveness of the Natzis etc. When I think of these things, I can see how God can give us the power by his Spirit to forgive the horrendous and to give the justice part of it into His hands.
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