Forgiveness

Yesterday we explored what it means to deal with pain caused by an offence. We journeyed methods of how you can express that pain in a healthy way, rather than holding onto it.  

Today we want to look at the final stage in the process – forgiveness. 

Before we dive into how to forgive, it is important to address why we forgive. 

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” 

(Matthew 6:14-15) 

Hopefully we will reach a stage where we want to forgive without needing a reason, but if ever we needed a reason to forgive, the above verse gives us one.  

It is said that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to be harmed. It just doesn’t work. In order to be restored from a hurt, we need to acknowledge the offence, process the pain it has caused and let it go through forgiveness. Please remember, forgiving someone does not mean condoning the behaviour that caused the pain. Rather, you are choosing to not hold that person to account and by doing so releasing yourself from the negative effects of pain, moving forward with your life in a healthy way. I recognise that I am speaking to a wide variety of individuals who will have experienced varying degrees of pain. Please remember, forgiving someone does not mean condoning the behaviour that caused the pain. Rather, you are choosing to not hold that person to account and by doing so releasing yourself from the negative effects of pain, moving forward with your life in a healthy way.  

May I offer you this simple prayer to help you let go of pain and embrace forgiveness? 

Father God,  

I recognise that I have been holding unforgiveness in my heart towards________________. Please help me to release them/myself and to move on from the offence. I choose today to forgive and move on with my life. Forgive me for holding this unforgiveness and help me to deal better with offence in the future.  

In Jesus’ name,  

Amen. 

We hope that today’s devotional has helped you to process your pain. Sometimes the process needs to be repeated again and again until we can fully let go, it is by no means a 1-2-3 step program! But freedom is possible, and forgiveness is a great step towards that freedom.  

Join us tomorrow for our final day as we unpack what it looks like to live offense-free.