Do it for yourself!

It would be a very false statement to say that it is easy to forgive someone that has caused us so much pain.  The truth is we need to forgive not as a favor to those who have hurt us but as a favor to ourselves. 

Un-forgiveness produces a fruit of bitterness that will flourish into our very own doom.  When we harbor these emotions inside of our minds we are incapable of receiving godly peace into our lives.  How many days, months and years have we wasted in our past harboring these horrible emotions while those who have caused us much pain go on through life unaffected by how we feel.   Meanwhile we are angry and end up taking all this anger on those who love us.  So how is carrying all this junk inside of us beneficial?  It certainly isn’t beneficial to our health or to the amazing people that love us.

Like I said above to forgive is to do ourselves a favor.  To release the prison that hurt has created in our lives.  To feel set free from the bondage that hurt has created in us. 

I was reading a book by James Allen entitled “As a Man Thinketh”.  In this book the author made the following statement: “Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself.”  Your thoughts can bring you peace or make you disturbed.  Learn how to take a good look in the mirror and study yourself.  Do an inventory of what you are holding on to inside your heart.  Anything that brings you pain you need to make the effort to release it from your mind before it destroys you. 

Many times I’ve been judged, ridiculed and provoked.  I can’t say that I always handled those situations in a godly way but I learned how to put a good fight against un-forgiveness.  I learned that forgiving brought me peace and i wasn't doing it for the benefit of the person who caused me harm but i was doing it for me. Forgiving doesn’t mean that you are going to build and ideal relationship with someone that you don’t care for but you are building for yourself peace of mind.

So do yourself a favor and pray for God to give you the strength to forgive.  It won’t be easy but you’ll get thru it and find much deserved peace. 

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesian 4:32