To Forgive or Not to Forgive - Encouragement Café - July 13, 2017

To Forgive or Not To Forgive
By Savannah Parvu
Thursday, July 13, 2017

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  Matthew 6:14-15 NIV

Forgiveness is not something that comes easy and it can be a process that God has to walk us through.  We are all human, therefore; we will hurt others and we will also be hurt throughout our lives.

Scripture tells us that we are required to forgive others for what they have done.

You may have heard the saying, “I could never forgive them for what they’ve done to me.” Perhaps you have even said that yourself.

There are tragic events that happen and for some it is harder to forgive those involved in those situations.  I was held in bondage for many years, but I was unaware of what was holding me there. 

Through studying forgiveness, I learned that there was someone in my life that I had not forgiven, and to be honest, I had no desire to forgive them.

That person was my mother.  She hurt me more than anyone and left me with a lot of emotional scars.  She was also not a part of my life, so I didn’t think it mattered whether I forgave her or not. But it did matter to God.

Through prayer and studying the word of God, I learned that forgiveness does not mean we have to be in a relationship with the person we forgive. 

To forgive means we cancel out what someone has done, and we no longer hold onto that hurt and have ill feelings toward that person.

I walked through the process of forgiving my mother, and I have never felt such freedom. It was as if someone took the weight off of my shoulders. 

I still do not have a relationship with my mother because it’s unhealthy for me to be around her lifestyle. Yet, I no longer have the ill feelings that I’ve had towards her for many years. 

I have received freedom through forgiveness, and you can too.

Is there someone in your life that you need to forgive?  Ask God today and ask Him to reveal any unforgiveness that you may be holding on to. 

Allow Him to walk you through the process of truly forgiving the people that have hurt you the most.

Lord, You know our hearts and desires more than we do.  Help us to look into our hearts and release the hurt that we’ve been holding on to.  We want to forgive as You have called us to. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

© 2017 by Savannah Parvu. All rights reserved.

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