THE HARDEST THING

This forgiveness thing is so much harder than I though it would be. True forgiveness is by far the hardest thing to do. True forgiveness means that once you have forgiven some one for whatever they did that you then do not tell other people of it and you ask God to not to keep a record of that persons wrong either. Because telling of it over and over again only keeps you bitter. Telling of it over and over again makes it harder to let go and forgive the wrong. And for us as Humans, this is so difficult to do because we love to wallow in our pain and tell other people how terribly we are suffering. We want pity and comfort from other people because we feel like we deserve it and we need it. Did Jesus behave that way on the cross? Did He ever tell anyone how badly He was suffering and want people to feel sorry for Him? Even in the garden of Gethsemane He only cried out to God, not to His disciples, and not to gain pity either. Why do we find it so hard to follow His example?
It is so hard and I find myself struggling through this, and I feel so week because I think of Jesus on the cross asking His Father to forgive the people who were killing him. He died so that we all could be forgiven – yet I am struggling with this at this point in my life. It is confusing because I know that I have forgiven, but I still hurt. And I am coming to the realization that we all sustain wounds through life’s battles. We all get hurt and cause hurt. Some of those hurts leave scars and some of them never completely heal up. I know why forgiveness is important it is something that I consider the very foundation of Christianity. It is highlighted over and over again in the Bible – look here: (I found these on “Right To The heart of Women”)

* We’re to love our neighbor as ourselves, including our enemies. Matthew 5:44

*If we want to be forgiven, we must forgive. Matthew 6:12, 24, 15

*Unforgiveness hinders our prayers. Matthew 5:23, 24 0

*We are not to be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. One of the ways we overcome is by forgiving the evil. Romans 12:21

*“Great rewards” and blessing are promised to those who practice forgiveness. Luke 6: 35, Matthew 5:7

*Forgiveness is commanded — seventy times seven — which means always! Matthew 18:21, 22

*Forgiveness illustrates the love of God, making us “children of our Father.” Matthew 5:45

*Forgiveness demonstrates maturity in Christ. Matthew 5:48

*If we are unforgiving, we are no better than our enemies. Matthew 5: 46, 47

*Forgiveness shows discretion and “glory.” Proverbs 19:11

Look at these quotes:

Remember: Those who have something to forgive are the bleeding victims. The only place they will ever find healing and help is at the feet of Jesus. Those who need to ask for forgiveness will need His Divine help to do it. – Rebekah Montgomery

“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness. He who cannot forgive others, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.” - Corrie Ten Boom

“Forgiveness is an act of the will and the will can function regardless of the temperature of the heart.” - Corrie Ten Boom

“Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and then waiting for the rat to die.” - Anne Lamott from Traveling Mercies

I have forgiven – yes, I know in my heart that I have forgiven. But I am still dealing with the hurt, and I am afraid that the hurt will cause bitterness again. So I am asking God to take captive my thoughts and feelings so that I don’t find myself picking up that unforgiveness again.

And yet my problem seems so small when I compare it to the amount of forgiveness and compassion Jesus showed that day when He was crucified. He forgave and never recalled again or spoke of those He had forgiven. He found His comfort in God. I think that is such an amazing example to follow and I am going to try harder to follow that example and cry out to Jesus in my times of fear and pain – and not to people.

So in conclusion, forgiveness is never easy, but it is vitally necessary. Without it we would not have eternal life. We need to forgive to be forgiven and to be set free from the burdens of bitterness and grief and pain. Jesus never told us that life as a Christian would ever be easy, but He did say He would be there with us every step of the way – and that is why He sent us His Spirit – and it is because of His Spirit who was sent to help us that we can overcome all things, and forgive even the hardest things. He did it, and that means we can do it too.