Is there a grudge lurking in your past? Maybe someone has hurt you in such a way that the memory still lingers over the days, months, or even years. You are not the only one who has been treated unfairly at one time or another. The one and only way to get rid of the grudge, hurt, and pain is to forgive. The topic of forgiveness is one that strikes a nerve in many people. It is an emotional issue and one we all tend to avoid, mainly because of our misunderstanding of what it really means.
According to Webster’s New World Dictionary of the American Language, to forgive is to give up resentment against or the desire to punish; to stop being angry with an offender. Most people think that forgiveness is something we do for other people: that it means that we are not mad anymore and are willing to “make up” and be friends again. But what if we are still mad and do not want to be friends? What if we feel that some things do not deserve our forgiveness? Do we have to hold on to our hurts for the rest of our lives? Well, sure you could, many people do.
There are many ways that forgiveness can be handled. Some of these ways include acknowledging the anger and hurt caused by the offender, forgiving yourself, trying not to seek revenge and trying to get rid of any harmful thoughts, considering to hear what the offender may have to say, or even showing God’s love and compassion to the offender. A great way to forgive someone is to remember this poem written by an anonymous poet.
“When Jesus died upon the cross, it was for gain and not for loss. Crucified for what others had done, God gave us His only son. We are often hurt by others too, and it’s up to us on what we do. Do not hang on another day. Let God take all the hurt away. Do not be bitter but be a better soul. Do not let resentment take its toll. Satan wants you hurting for it’s his way. Free yourself from his bondage today. If you truly want to live, think of someone you must forgive. Is it parents, an ex-spouse, children, a friend? Forgive them today and the pain will end. Do not drag around a ball and chain. Rid yourself of needless pain. To be like Christ, it must be done. Isn’t it time that you forgive someone.”
Colosians 3:13, says “Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do”. The best thing to remember is that Christ forgave us of all our sins, so shouldn’t you be able to forgive someone of one or two things that someone else has done to you?