Forgiving Those Who Hurt Us
- Emily L Wilson
- Apr 8, 2017
- 4 min read
I know it seems like their actions and words are unforgivable...But when Jesus Christ our Lord was hanging on that cross, what did He say?
"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34.
What is the BIGGEST part of salvation? FORGIVENESS.
The Lord has forgiven us of our crimes, our dirty hands, our rebellion against Him...He has SO much patience toward us! He gives us more than just a second chance. Jesus said in Matthew 18:22 that we must forgive others not 7 times, but 77. God's mercy is endless. Let me ask you, are you forgiven? Do you believe that your sins have been forgiven? If the answer is yes, I must tell you honestly then, you must forgive those who wronged you. Matthew 6:14-15 says "But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses". If we do not forgive those who have wronged us, the Lord will not forgive us our wrongdoings. The Lord HATES unforgiveness and that is why He forgives us time after time. We need to realize and know in our hearts that we ALL are not perfect and always make mistakes! Luke 6:42 clearly states that we all have internal flaws, so how does that give us the right to judge others when we have our own things to fix.
Mark 11:25 also tells us to forgive others. "And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses". It is absolutely injustice to the Lord when He forgives us of our sins but we reject to forgive the ones who hurt us. Regardless of the size of that wrongdoing, the Lord tells us to forgive if we also want to be forgiven. We can find a parable in the Bible about this in Matthew 18:21-13.
Brothers and sisters, I can tell you honestly that it feels SO much better to have a heart full of love rather than a heart full of hatred and bitterness. Allowing God to drain that hurt from your heart is truly unexplainable, so relieving and peaceful. Allow Him to filter your heart with love and peace. "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you". Ephesians 4:32. Colossians 3:13 tells us the same. Forgiveness is found everywhere in the Bible, that is who God is. 1 Corinthians 13 tells us the characteristics of God's agape love and one of them is that 'love holds no record of wrongs'. If we have God's love in our hearts, then we will absolutely be able to forgive every and any harm done against us, no matter how painful. The Lord forgives us for the sins that seem little and for the large ones, they are all equal in His eyes, but He is ready to forgive us.
We can only forgive others through the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If you are having a hard time forgiving someone, do not hold that in. Take it to the Lord in prayer and truthfully tell Him how you feel, admit that you are trying to forgive this person but you can't let go, admit to Him that it hurts and that you need His help. God WILL help you.
There are so many things to say about forgiveness, that is what the Lord is all about. He LOVES you so dearly and He does not want you to carry that burden of grudge around with you. We need to let go of the sins that others did against us for we are forgiven in Christ. "But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you." Luke 6:27-28. Unforgiveness is what the enemy, the devil, wants us to believe is the only option. If we claim that Jesus is our Lord, we MUST forgive those who have harmed us, but this is only possible with the Holy Spirit and confessing it to God! Matthew 5:38-48 tells us that we are used to seeking revenge, getting even, or that it is okay to hold grudges against others. But Jesus tells us 'LOVE your enemies and PRAY for those who persecute you'.
Now remember what Jesus did in order to bring forgiveness of YOUR sins, compare the wrongdoing of that person to His sacrifice. Does it really compare to what our Lord Jesus did to bring forgiveness for ALL sins of all mankind? Is it worth holding a grudge against one whom Jesus also died for? I know the excuses that we make, I know the reasoning that the devil will whisper in our ears to make us think that unforgiveness is the best way, but it's not. Humble yourself before the Lord and before others. The Lord is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins, 1 John 1:9.
Forgiveness is from the Kingdom of Heaven, but hatred is evil from the kingdom of darkness. The Lord desires to make you free, this is why He came. He came to set us free from the darkness and bring us into the light. One of Jesus' last words were directed to asking the Lord to forgive His persecutors. The Lord has brought us into the light, many of our enemies are blinded by the darkness. I hope that you will make the right choice and choose to pray instead of hate.
