Forgive, Forgive and Forgive

“And when you start praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” - Mark 11:25

Jesus set for us a great example on what it means to truly forgive. The only snag is that most of us find it hard to truly forgive. We’ve all heard people make statements like “I can forgive but I can never forget”. I believe the reason why we find it hard to fully forgive is because the true benefits of forgiving is not fully understood. When we know what forgiving can do for us, we will find it easier to follow Christ's example. If we make a decision to stop replaying events over and over again, forgetting can really be achieved in time. When you make a conscious choice not to focus on the mistakes that were made and rehashing the issue with everyone that will listen, we have a strong chance at letting go of the hurt. I can testify that there is so much to gain from being a person who fully forgives. I have personally enjoyed improved health, physical and spiritual strength, peace and inner joy as some of the benefits of forgiving. When the Bible instructs us to forgive, it is for us and not for the offender. Refusing to forgive does great harm to the body internally. Holding grudges and refusing to let go and let God has negative implications on the quality of our lives.

I was told a story of a woman who had cancer and was abandoned by her husband. She was sick and to top it off, she had two children to care of. She became very bitter and resentful. She prayed and prayed regarding her health. She even had the entire church praying for me but her situation did not change. She had no idea why her prayers were going unanswered until God revealed to her in a dream that if she wanted her healing she needed to work on her feelings. She had so much anger and bitterness toward her husband that it was slowly killing her. The woman decided to follow the instructions of the Lord and worked on the state of her heart toward her husband. In time, she was able to forgive and release her bitterness. The speed at which her healing came after her heart changed was remarkable. She was shocked to discover that she had the key to her healing all along; she just needed to turn the key.

We must forgive, forgive and keep on forgiving. It is in our best interest to do so. I myself find it easier to forgive when I put people in their proper place. Humans will always be human and they will make mistakes just like I do. Learning to set expectations in a realistic manner minimizes the chances of being wronged. Only God does not disappoint; human beings will disappoint you – you can count on it. So when you have that squared away, you can view people in the right way; you can give them room to make mistakes and forgive them as they do so.