Living Changed: ForgivenessIhe Atụ

Healing I remember when I was little and I’d fall down and scrape my knee. I knew it meant the dreaded hydrogen peroxide treatment wasn’t far behind, but I would put it off as long as possible because it stung like crazy! No matter how much I reasoned, I could never get away with pouring it over the wound just once. It always took multiple times until it was clean, and blowing on it only brought so much relief. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but a necessary one for healing. Just like healing from a scraped knee, we know healing from past offenses isn’t instantaneous. Typically, the bigger and deeper the wound means the longer and more painful the healing process. For us to fully heal and be able to freely forgive, we need help that only comes from Jesus. Surrendering our pain to God allows Him to begin cleaning out the bitterness and anger that could otherwise fester inside us and spread infection throughout our lives. It can be incredibly difficult for us to revisit past hurts. But when we let God into those spaces that ache, He will help us release our grip on resentment and give us the strength to forgive. As we work through the pain, we can show our real feelings to God. He can handle our emotions, whether we’re full of rage or full of sorrow. He wants to hear about our lives from us, even when it’s ugly and imperfect. We can shout at Him or cry out to Him. We can think the words we don’t dare to say or moan the ones we don’t know how to say. We can write out our prayers or sing them at the top of our lungs. Whatever communication method we choose, God just wants us to choose to include Him. Like a scraped knee that toughens up as it scars over, God makes us stronger as He heals us. He builds our perseverance and gives purpose to our pain. Though our wounds may leave scars that become a part of our story, we don’t have to own them as part of our identity. We can let go of our pain, ask God to heal us, and choose to forgive. Pause now to revisit one hurt you’re struggling to forgive. Think about how it made you feel, what you believe about yourself as a result, and how it has impacted your relationships. Then prayerfully declare it no longer has power over you. Say it’s forgiven, even if you don’t feel it, and ask God to help you mean it in your heart.