So you read it, you heard it before, the Bible says we should forgive. But if your anything like me let’s be honest saying I forgive is a lot easier then actually forgiving someone! So you may be thinking, BUT HOW DO I FORGIVE WHEN THEY DID....?
Yes that man may have raped you, or that father left you, maybe that person died and you dont understand why god took them from you, so in your thoughts you battle with unforgiveness. Confused why the actions and choices of others are the way they are, you question them often in your heart, trying to answer the question why...
why did they hurt me!? Why did they not think about the fact that I have a heart ???
Point is forgiveness can be hard. Especially when you can’t find out the why!? But sis let me tell you it’s not always about finding out why, even if you knew why, would you forgive?
Forgiveness is when we truly let go of an action and hold it not as a grunge on the one who committed a unjust deed against you. Forgiveness is proven when a argument may later arise or situation and your no longer bringing up that past deed that you said you forgave. Forgiveness is when you say I wont even bring this up again to throw it In Your face!
Forgotten and forgiven are close. The difference is forgotten is never remembering, but in forgiveness you may remember but you definitely do not hold that person accountable for the deed they did.
So the reason im making a post on this is because I had a moment, more like long season, of unforgiveness toward a family member. And it took me long time to finally come to God and ask him to help me to forgive. Because I said many times I forgive the person, just to find I didn’t. I was still holding on to pain. I finally came to a place of wanting to go deeper in God and in so doing I’m learning unaddressed issues must be dealt with.
So when i asked God to help me to forgive immediately as I thought on these things, I went to the concordance and opened to the word forgive. I do this in my studies to really tackle topics in the scripture.
Point is in order to really understand the meaning of a word I found that the Kjv gives its own definition of a word, it is it’s own dictionary, wherein I can go to the first time a word is mentioned in the Bible, see how it is used and the words in same sentence or in the previous or next sentence will define the meaning of a word. ( if you would like me to go into detail on how this is done, comment below and request it and I’ll be glad to share) point is so I went to forgive and searched the first place it was used in the Bible and first place I saw was genesis 50:17
So I read few verses before and after to understand what was being said (Genesis 50:14-19)....
I stopped at 50:19 and at first was not expecting any revelation or moment with God. But bam ! It hit me ! And when I read this verse I saw it, which says:
“And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God?”
This was in response to his brothers who thought because their father had just died that now Joseph was going to seek revenge for the evil they did to him, and so they sent to him saying their father told him to forgive them.
So my point is here, that Joseph not only showed an amazing act of forgiveness, as his brothers literally sold him as a slave, and got rid of him. Doing so much evil against him even when he was present, had treated him so badly, yet Joseph having many opportunities to revenge, chose rather to forgive! That is godly! That’s the love of god ! There is no greater wisdom.
Main part that hit me, is the fact that Joseph said, is he in the place of God?
This statement shows, who are we to not forgive someone. Are we the judge? When we ourselves have sinned. A humbled heart can see that God is the only who can cause unforgiveness on one. Why? Because He is the Just Judge! Anyway seeing this showed me why I should forgive that person in my family! I need forgiveness, and so do they. I pray that I have mercy on others that God have mercy on me !
We forgive cause God forgave us. At first if your battling with this thought of forgiving cause god forgave us. Don’t beat yourself up, it’s spiritual why at times things appear hard to comprehend when it comes to God. But I do suggest this, desire to see it! Desire to know it! Desire to know the things of God! The truth of God, the ways of God! But in desiring to know, ask God to reveal to you how to forgive, as I have, and I know, because He has done it for me, that He will reveal to you how to truly forgive! I don’t care what they did sis, ain’t nothing to big for God!
God will help you forgive in jesus name!