Today let’s talk about forgiveness. Forgiving equals freedom. Freedom from the weight of carrying pain and hurt around. Forgiving others and ourselves is like dropping weight that we’ve been carrying around and it needs to be done to feel the relief and freedom that we desperately need.
True forgiveness extends beyond words.
Forgiveness means to let go and move forward. Forgiveness is a process. It takes time and understanding of situations, of questions and reasonings. But the understanding and letting go are necessary steps that need to be taken. We can feel so weighed down when we don’t forgive, and we need to forgive so that we don’t harbor feeling toward others. Even though we may never fully understand why things happen we can control the forgiveness that happens, on our part anyway.
I tell my kids all the time, all you can do is say I’m sorry. You’ve done your part and whatever they feel is for them to feel and handle.
Ephesians 4:32 says, “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.”
God sent His son to take all our sins and to bring forgiveness to each and every one of us. So we then need to turn and extend that same forgiveness we have experienced. So let us do our best to forgive one another.
When we recognize that we need to take steps of forgiveness, I think it can feel daunting depending on what we are needing to forgive. So, here are 4 Rs of forgiveness that I found, that could help us all in the process a little easier.
Responsibility – accepting what has happened and showing some compassion toward yourself and others. The acceptance is a process, but it is the actions and reactions following that acceptance that show how we are really handling things.
Next is Remorse – a gateway to a positive change to our behavior. It is that age ole rule of actions speak louder than words. We need to show or see a change before forgiveness can really happen.
The next R is Restoration – making amends with whomever you’re forgiving…. even if it is yourself. I find it easier to forgive others before forgiving myself. I have to deal with myself more than others and so the work needed is more evident and therefore it can feel like a bigger task to forgive myself. But restoring what needs to be it if can be shows growth.
Lastly, Renewal – learning from the experiences and growing from them. This goes along with that change that is needed. Where there is growth there is change.
Colossians 3:13 says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”
Sometimes we come with a predetermination of thoughts about someone or something due to what we have experienced or even just heard from others. We also can hold offense to something that we may have misunderstood. Communication can be hard sometimes, but it is always necessary.
This can cause us to not account for one another as it says to do in the scripture that I just shared. We tend to stick to our thoughts and opinions and hurts before giving and showing grace to one another.
We need to be open minded and think of how Jesus handled people and situations when He walked this earth. He welcomed everyone…. even the ones He knew would hurt Him. He knew that no matter what others had done or said it was in His ability to love and forgive. This is a great example to follow, though hard to follow through on. But there is still one we should look to and strive for.
Comments