My journey to forgive

Forgiveness

And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. (Mark 11:25)

Forgiveness can be a controversial subject. Many have differing opinions, with some saying—“You don’t know what they did to me!” Others would tell me that they can forgive but not forget, but what does the word say?

I believe that when we teach any subject, we need to lead by example. I, personally, got tested when I got shot 34 years ago. I had opportunities to get even, but God helped me to overcome those temptations. It was not an easy decision, but my mind was made up. I had decided to forgive the person who shot me by his grace. 

For a season, I was traumatized because of this incident. The taxi cab company offered me a part-time job as a bookkeeper. I was happy to have a job, but I was not making enough. At this sad state of affairs, I decided to return to driving a cab and facing my fears. It was not easy, but little by little, I got used to returning to my old job.

After a while, a door opened for me to work for Verizon, making a lot more money. God is good! Facing my fears helped me build up my confidence and be an example to others. You can overcome your fears, but you have to learn to walk in love.

The word says that Perfect love casteth out fear. Can we be perfect in love? No, but we can strive for excellence in that area. The Perfect love that scripture talks about is God. God is love. (I John 4:8) He is the perfect love that lives inside us. When we know our identity in Christ and what belongs to us, he will help us overcome our fears.

Emotional hurts

 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; (Isaiah 61:1)

I realize that emotional hurts can hinder the process of unforgiveness. Joseph went thru a series of traumatic events. Sold as a slave by his brothers, he wound up in Egypt. Even though he prospered, he still had the hurts deep in his heart. We have heard the saying —Time heals wounds. That is not true; it only buries it deeper into the heart.

When the time came for Joseph to face his brothers, he gave them a hard time. After many long years, it was time to settle the score. Scripture shows us that he had a high position in Egypt. He recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

He gave his brothers a hard time, giving them a taste of their own medicine, but God had a plan. Joseph fell under conviction and repented. Hurts can make us do strange things. The good news is that Joseph allowed the healing process to do its job. He revealed himself to his brothers and forgave them.

The word brokenhearted appears two times in the word. When you see a pattern that repeats itself, please pay attention to it. Isaiah 61:1 mentions it as well as Luke 4:18. Who heals the brokenhearted? Jesus! He can heal you and help you to forgive. If you have a broken heart, decide to receive your healing today. Let’s pray–

Father, Examine my heart. Show me areas of unforgiveness and hurts. Heal my broken heart. Heal my mental hurts. Heal my emotions as well as my soul. Thank you for your healing inside of me. I forgive and release those who have caused hurts in my life. In Jesus’s name..amen!

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