When someone breaks our heart, hurts us, lies to or on us or lets us down, those feel like the ultimate betrayals. Plans made that never seem to work out began to linger and rejection has its way of creeping in. And we make a vow to not allow our hearts to get that invested or hurt like that again. This wall goes up and our feelings get tucked away. I’m not sure how many of you have lived on autopilot before but I did for years. Existing not living day by day, It wasn’t until I realized what I had become and how the person that people were interacting with daily wasn’t who I was but what had happened to me over the course of the years. After asking God to become the pilot and following His instructions for my life one of the first things I had to do was begin to forgive.
Forgiveness is something we are required to do but often feels like it’s one of the hardest requirements to fulfil. A heart that carries unforgiveness can show up in so many broken ways. The wall of protection becomes a weight we sometimes aren’t even aware we carry. That weight shows up in our lives and looks to others snippy, rude, uncaring, intolerant, short tempered, lack of empathy or understanding for others. This unresolved feeling not only impacts others but takes a toll on our physical, mental, and emotional state.
Forgiving someone doesn’t mean they aren’t held accountable for their actions. They have not gotten away with what they have done, nor does it mean we ignore that it hurts deeply. We need to acknowledge the hurt and sometimes move on with the understanding that the one that hurt us may not ever admit or apologize for their actions. Forgiveness is for us to heal and move forward. A freedom in knowing I am not hurting others because I was once hurt.
It means we allow God to free us from the weight that unforgiveness carries. Often, we think forgiveness is a way for someone to gain an upper hand. However, releasing anger, hurt, and bitterness that can lead to unforgiveness is a release that gives us room to grow.
What happens when we forgive others? We are spared an embittered heart. We are given peace of mind and freedom to become who God has authentically called us to be. Others are able to get to know The Child of God we were born to be.
Very important note!!! Please remember one of the most important people we can and need to forgive is ourselves. If we have asked God to forgive us, He has already done so and He awaits the journey of healing we grow through as He transforms us from the inside out.
Colossians 3:13 Bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you so you must also do.