Day 20 - Forgiveness

Be very afraid!! Hunter & Jordan
Paintball Champs

"'Why are you frightened?' [Jesus asked]. 'Why are your hearts filled with doubt?'"  Luke 24:38 NLT 

Have you ever been to scared to forgive.  Not "scary monster coming after you" scared.  I mean-- scared to admit you are wrong for not forgiving?  Scared to forgive because it may drag up old hurtful feelings?  Scared to forgive because that other person deserves worse for hurting you?

I have a couple of people in my life that I need to forgive.  I feel if I forgive them, then I am letting them off the hook for hurting me.  But, that is the wrong frame of mind to have.  We should  forgive because Christ forgave us!  He forgave us for all the rotten things we have done in sin, and will forgive any future sin as well.  So, why can't I seem to forgive?

Honestly?  I'm scared.

I'm afraid of what that might do.  I want to be mad.  Crazy!  This is continually hurting me worse than them.  Harboring this pain, resentment, and unforgiveness is wrong.  God's Holy Word says it is.

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you."  Matthew 6:14

Renee Swope's book, A Confident Heart, has been good to bring this out in me.  Instead of being scared to forgive others, I need to stand tall in the confidence of who I am and forgive as freely as Christ does.  In the book, Renee says:

"We'll also need to realize our family of origin does not define our true identity. Once we become daughters of the King, we have a royal inheritance that determines who we are. Gideon had to stop thinking of himself as the runt of his family and start seeing himself as a child of God, a mighty warrior in his Father's eyes.Whether we had a great family or not, our hearts will only find lasting confidence when we find our identity as children of God." (A Confident Heart, pg. 90)

Stand tall in who we are in Christ.  Forgive others with that unbelievable confidence that only Christ can bestow upon us.  And don't forget to always ask Christ to come along with you.  He is always with you, anyway.  Acknowledge His mighty presence, and He will give you the power you need to do anything!