Forgiveness is the key…

“Do you have difficulty forgiving some offense committed against you or someone you love? Forgiving has many benefits. Only by forgiving can we free ourselves from the bitterness that haunts our lives, but forgiving does more than that. Forgiving provides a powerful witness for Christ.“ ~Beth Moore

Ewwwweeeeee that word up there is so hard to do. It does not make me feel warm and fuzzy and is certainly not a easy thing to do. I am a forgetter, but its so hard to forgive. Why is forgiveness so hard? Is because we think we are weak for doing so. Do you think “well, I will get the last word.” SURE, I think that is why we have a really hard time with that seven letter word, FORGIVE. What does the word really mean?  When I looked up the definition of forgiveness it said to pardon. When I looked up the definition of pardon it said that it has a  related word,  MERCY. Oh, my mercy is hard to have to, but sometimes we just cant achieve this on our own.

Here in the past year or two I have had some resentment toward a person linked to our family. The things that were being said and done by that person was hurting my family. I therefore had a “CRAZY”  moment and lost my religion on the biggest social network there is. I  can honestly say I  flashed back to my teens and took it upon myself to make that person know the wrongs I have seen. Was this right?, absolutely not.

The quote at the top explains what I have lost for a moment. Beth Moore is a Christian speaker and a inspiration to me. She says that by forgiving we are a powerful witness for Christ. I lost this witness because I did not PARDON the person I am so upset with.

In my situation I have been shown that We CANNOT HAVE MERCY on things or people we are haunted by without Christ. Oh how this has been showed to me over and over. We have to forgive the ones that fall short in our eyes so that one day we might be pardoned. I thought by making that persons shortcoming relevant that it would make her see, but to my surprise God made me see.

This verse has hit home with me today, We forgive so we won’t become bitter and defile those around us (Hebrews 12:14-15).  Was this shown to me through this situation? Yes. I have been shown that forgiveness can really keep you from sinning and help you from being negative and bitter. Forgivnenesss makes you rise above those who have wronged you. Forgiveness is FREEING Im told. Who doesn’t what to be free.

So a learning lesson that was put in my path to spread to all of you, Have mercy on those you have not forgiven, it could cost you your witness or soul.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”
Matthew 6:7

 Matthew 6:14-16
For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.