Scripture says God is Love. Paul says that love is patient. Love is kind. Love keeps no record of wrongs.
No record of wrong is forgiveness.
You may have heard the old adage "forgive and forget." That is foolishness, it's naive to believe you can forget - we rarely forget times when we've been hurt. However, you must forgive - not for the person who hurt you - you must forgive for yourself. If you cannot forgive you will be carrying a lot of baggage around. Forgiving means letting go of the burden and moving forward in your life.
The mother of a murder victim can forgive the killer, but she will never forget what happened. We can forgive the men who flew airplanes into buildings, but we must never forget.
If someone hurts you, forgive them. But don't keep going back for more hurt. You can forgive and love an unrepentant person, but love doesn't require pain. To the contrary - love is the absence of pain. "Turn the other cheek" does not require you to continue in an abusive relationship - that's not love.
I'll admit I'm not the best at "practicing what I preach" at times. These things are what God calls us to pursue. Being fallable humans we will all fall short. Your goal should be to strive to His standard.
Forgive those who hurt you. Leave the door open for those willing to change. Stand guard against those who would hurt you again. Close the doors that need to be closed, always with an attitude of love and forgiveness.
No comments:
Post a Comment