Looking Beyond Forgiveness

A definition of forgiveness:
A decision to release yourself from anger, resentment, hate, or the urge for revenge despite the injury you suffered.

To some, forgiveness is crazy...I mean, someone has done something horrible to you, hurt you beyond belief....and you FORGIVE them?? How can you do that?

I think sometimes we should really breakdown what it means to forgive. First of all, forgiveness doesn't mean you forget. If something truly horrible has been done to you or a member of your family, that is with you forever. Nothing can take away those memories, they may shape how you feel about certain people, places and things maybe forever. Many people feel out of control when bad things happen. They don't understand why it had to occur...why them, why then? They hate what has happened, hate the person that did it. It's human nature and perfectly natural to feel that way. I'm not saying here that you shouldn't remorse over what has happened, what I'm saying is don't let it define you. Don't let what has happened be the deciding factor for the rest of your life. Take control. How do you do this??? FORGIVENESS

Let me preface this with...forgiveness is one of the hardest things you can ever do. It may take many trys before you truly forgive. You may think you have and then those same thoughts of revenue or anger come back. We are not perfect. Forgiveness is not perfect. It may take you days or several years to get there. It took me many many many years to get there....and I still struggle with it sometimes.

A heavy burden

All of those feelings for me were like carrying around a huge backpack. I had all sorts of emotions...sadness, fear, betrayal, resentment, anger, confusion and pain. I carried them around with me for many years, letting this situation and these feelings hold me back, just like a heavy backpack would. It was harder to climb those mountains in life, because my burden was so heavy. I fatigued easily because my burden was so heavy. I took easier roads to travel because my burden was so heavy.

I put my backpack down last year and left it and started a journey onto a road not knowing where it was leading, but I knew one thing...I was lighter, I was free, I felt good. It was the greatest release I've ever felt, an unimaginable freedom. It was not easy. It still is not easy. I was called to forgive, as it wasn't my burden to bear. Forgiveness is not about overlooking or excusing what happened to you, it is about RELEASING yourself from the emotions you feel.

Today I'm calling you to start thinking about forgiveness...yes you!! Whether your spouse has done something minor or the unthinkable, whether your friend has betrayed you, whether your childhood just sucked...no matter what the situation. I found forgiveness through God's strength, but whether you reading this are religious or not, please take the time to ponder this...think about it, pray about it. What an awesome gift to give yourself and that person. Don't go into it with certain expectations, be open. Be open to their response....you might experience tears of relief together, you might experience a re-birth of your relationship with that person, they may say nothing at all. The point is you are now free, you can now put down your bag and go freely.