Freedom
Forgiveness
I had faced
the dilemma for several years – the pain of rejection. We’ve all gone through it. We find that not everyone likes us and the
sting of words, or being left out, or the backdoor conversations about you all
hurt. The Boss who never gave you a
chance; the spouse who decided the marriage was not worthwhile; the friendship
that turned out to be hollow and tossed away... we all have experienced the
pain of rejection. The pain is trapped
inside and we desperately long for something to take it all away.
The hallways
of rejection are lined with images that are all too real, and we can’t seem to
find the doorway that leads us out of it to real freedom. We wander through the hallways of past
rejections – anger, internal turmoil and arguments never spoken out loud,
depression, withdrawal, distrust...and on and on I could go.
We walk to
through this rejection hallway and notice a door with the light streaming
through the cracks. We walk towards it
and reach for the door knob... it won’t budge.
Our inner voice cries out, “that’s
not fair”... “c’mon”...and still it remains closed. We’re thinking that it’s others who got us
stuck: “I didn’t do anything to deserve this... Why me? Why not them?” The door is closed tight, but there are
instructions written on a piece of paper hung on the side of the door:
“He would seek to be
free and walk in the light must first forgive...
forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door.”
forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door.”
There is a
natural objection: “There’s a debt to be paid and I am owed the debt, but I’m supposed to
forgive? – Hah!” Let’s face it, it’s much easier to hang on to
the bitterness and anger of our wounded self than forgive. Unforgiveness has but one real trait:
We come to
the doorway of our own need. The
Psalmist reminded us:
The Lord is
compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:8-12)
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:8-12)
He did it
for us didn’t he? He didn’t forgive us
because it was “easy”...it was painful... “God demonstrates His own love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. . . . While we were
enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son” (Romans
5:8, 10). It wasn’t easy for God to
forgive – it was painful...but absolutely necessary!
Forgiveness
is Freedom...pure and simple. The other
person doesn’t even need to know you did it.
It’s for your soul, your spirit, your heart and mind that you release
the debt...and the door opens to the light of God’s freedom. You’re no longer trapped in the hallways of
rejection – you’re free to walk in the freedom of God’s love.
Will you
remember? You bet you will. The rejection will come back as sure as the
sun the next day. Yet here is where the
freedom of forgiveness acts again... “I distinctly remember forgiving them...”
and you do it over and over and over again until it disappears.
Is it important? I’ll let Jesus answer that:
Matthew
6:9-15
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from (the) evil (one).
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from (the) evil (one).
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,
15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Forgiveness is Freedom... Peace!
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