By: Jenifer Metzger
Bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance
against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.
Colossians 3:13
It breaks my heart, but it also makes me angry. Lies and gossip are horrible and can destroy. My husband and I apologized for anything we may have done to upset, offend, or hurt. Our prayer was that by apologizing relationships could be mended. But our apology hit a brick wall. There was no apology back, no acceptance, no reconciliation. At first, I was even angrier. I wanted to take back my apology and hurt them back.
But that isn't God's way. We are called to forgive. Even when it is excruciating to do so. Even when it is undeserved.
God has forgiven us, and mercy are we underserving. He has called us to forgive even when it isn't accepted or reciprocated. Forgiving isn't always about the other party involved, it is about our relationship with God and our own heart. We forgive because we are forgiven by God.
How can we forgive even when it hurts so much? Pray for the other person. Ask God to reveal truth, ask Him to heal, ask Him to bless. When you forgive and pray, healing begins in your own heart. Then, in God's timing, He will work in their heart.
Friend, if you are dealing with unforgiveness, it is time to turn it over to the Father. Forgive and leave it in His hands. Holding onto unforgiveness, anger, bitterness, or grudges causes harm to you spiritually, emotionally, and even physically.
A prayer for the ones who hurt us:
Father, I lift up __________ to You today. I ask You to help me
forgive them for any wrong doing. I ask You to reveal truth to
them, to heal their own heart, and to bring them to repentance
if necessary. I ask You to bless their life in all areas and to bring
them closer to You than ever before. I pray that if it is in Your will,
restoration of the relationship will happen in Your timing. I also
ask that You forgive me for any wrong doing and heal my heart.
In Jesus name, amen.
If you are struggling with unforgiveness and would like me to pray for you, please leave a comment and I will pray for you.
It's time for Share A Link Wednesday! Each Wednesday we invite you to leave a link to your latest blog post in the comments. We still desire to connect women of God with one another and encourage each other in Christ. So grab a cup of coffee or glass of sweet tea, sit back and visit a few blogs. Be encouraged and share your own stories.
It's good to remember that an apology might not resolve everything, that sometimes prayer and patience are needed. When we remember how much God has forgiven us and how little we deserve it, that helps us extend the same grace to others.
ReplyDeleteI wrote this week about how God uses struggles to strengthen our "faith muscles": https://barbaraleeharper.com/2020/09/27/the-struggle-is-real/.
Thank you so much for this. I think the most important thing I learned was that forgiveness was more for me than it was for the person I was forgiving. Once I learned this it was like forgiving came easier and felt better. This week I wrote about going to battle for our marriage everyday through prayer, https://keepingthetiethatbinds.com/2020/09/30/going-to-battle-for-your-marriage-everyday/
ReplyDelete