Forgiveness...the dreaded word. We all know we need to give it, yet, with it we all struggle. For years, I had a difficult time forgiving certain people. I carried anger and bitterness with me as if it were a part of my daily wardrobe. After a while, I noticed that the very one's I harbored ill-will against seem to be going on in life as if nothing ever happened. Of course, this angered me even more. I wanted them to feel the pain with which I carried. The less the other party noticed my pain, the more I noticed, I was burying myself in deeper and deeper hurt.
I began a journey of self-discovery, because I was beginning to be mad at myself over the fact I couldn't forgive. After a while, I challenged myself to let go of one offense at a time. Since I couldn't let go of the BIG picture and all the faces in it that haunted me daily, I forged ahead with one offense at a time. For me, this was the beginning. The beginning of a long journey, but a successful one. One offense at a time. When others asked me how I was doing, I was honest in saying..."Well, I'm good. I started out with so many that I felt had let me down and not been there for me when I needed them most, to now, I can at least count the ones who, to me, I had been offended or failed." As time passed, I went from not being able to number those with which offended me, to, finally counting them on both of my hands. Then one day I realized, I was down to one hand. That's right, I could count on one hand those I had trouble forgiving. Finally, the day came...I realized I had finally forgiven everyone and every offense, with which I had struggled for so long.
What a liberating feeling! To be able to put my head on my pillow at night and not harbor ill-will against anyone. It took me years, to let go, but I let go. The unforgiving spirit I carried for so long was preventing me from my future and what God had planned. I was hindering my next level, not what had happened to me, not what others did, but ME. It was all about ME!
Don't let an unforgiving situation or spirit hinder your next level. Let go of the pain. Let go of the offense. You are the only one it's controlling and altering. There is so much that God has planned for our lives. We may think we've peaked and it's never going to get any better than what we're living right now. That's a LIE! It does and CAN get better, but you have to do your part...FORGIVE! One offense at a time. Thank God He doesn't give us a timeline on forgiveness, He just says FORGIVE!
I began a journey of self-discovery, because I was beginning to be mad at myself over the fact I couldn't forgive. After a while, I challenged myself to let go of one offense at a time. Since I couldn't let go of the BIG picture and all the faces in it that haunted me daily, I forged ahead with one offense at a time. For me, this was the beginning. The beginning of a long journey, but a successful one. One offense at a time. When others asked me how I was doing, I was honest in saying..."Well, I'm good. I started out with so many that I felt had let me down and not been there for me when I needed them most, to now, I can at least count the ones who, to me, I had been offended or failed." As time passed, I went from not being able to number those with which offended me, to, finally counting them on both of my hands. Then one day I realized, I was down to one hand. That's right, I could count on one hand those I had trouble forgiving. Finally, the day came...I realized I had finally forgiven everyone and every offense, with which I had struggled for so long.
What a liberating feeling! To be able to put my head on my pillow at night and not harbor ill-will against anyone. It took me years, to let go, but I let go. The unforgiving spirit I carried for so long was preventing me from my future and what God had planned. I was hindering my next level, not what had happened to me, not what others did, but ME. It was all about ME!
Don't let an unforgiving situation or spirit hinder your next level. Let go of the pain. Let go of the offense. You are the only one it's controlling and altering. There is so much that God has planned for our lives. We may think we've peaked and it's never going to get any better than what we're living right now. That's a LIE! It does and CAN get better, but you have to do your part...FORGIVE! One offense at a time. Thank God He doesn't give us a timeline on forgiveness, He just says FORGIVE!
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