Forgive Again 12-14-22

Forgive Again 12-14-22

Good day all. I hope the Advent Season has filled you with Peace, Joy, Love, and Hope. The frantic pace that many of us are experiencing right now makes these difficult. We have things and people pulling us in many directions. Our calendars are packed with preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth! For me this is the best time of the year! So many opportunities to share love and joy with others.

However, with this pace, it is easy to overlook someone, or to unintentionally hurt someone, or be hurt by someone else. This happened to me over this past weekend. I have responsibilities at my church and others in the church trying to be helpful, hurt me and made it difficult for me to complete one of my responsibilities. Although I wanted to blame and assume negative intent against me, this was not the case. For those that know me, I am very passionate about things I care about. I want to give all my effort into my projects and set the bar very high. When this situation occurred, I was extremely passionate and was blinded by my emotions. Several days have passed and I have cooled down, although the passion still exists. I am working on forgiving those that unintentionally hurt me. Forgiveness is not easy but is mandated in the Bible and is demonstrated repeatedly. These examples of forgiveness are the model that we must follow every day. Have you been hurt recently? Have you intentionally or unintentionally hurt someone else? Take a deep breath, dig deep into the lessons from the Bible and practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is so very powerful for both parties. Everyone feels better once this takes place. It also provides a foundation for future interaction.

Just as God forgives us, heal relationships by extending forgiveness with grace and generosity. Forgive everyone for everything. Start by praying for those you resent or hate. Ask for every blessing you would want for the one you’re struggling to forgive.

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6: 13, 14)

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4: 31)

Make allowance for each other’s faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3: 13)

Ideas for Action: Work on “dropping” the anger you have. Don’t let it come between you and someone else. Stop bringing up the hurt in public or with friends. Stop nursing the memory of how you’ve been wronged. Focus on Peace, Joy, Love, and Hope especially in the season of Advent.