Forgiveness is Freeing
.One of the hardest things to do is to forgive and let go of something that, to this day, plagues our thoughts.
Some things are just unforgettable. We can forgive, but we can’t forget. But what if we didn’t have a memory? As soon as something happens, we would have no recollection. How many wonderful moments we would not be able to recall!
One of my favorite quotes is “Two of God’s greatest gifts is a memory of the past and a veil over tomorrow.” We can remember so many amazingly good moments, and we don’t live dreading what is coming in the days ahead.
Remembering past wrongs makes us safer. If, for example, someone stole money from you in the past, you know not to leave your wallet lying around. Even worse, statistics say that three out of four ladies have been sexually abused when they were younger—sadly, most often by a family member or family friend. How could someone forget that? They can’t. I tell ladies when I counsel them that that terrible experience has made them smarter. When they have children of their own, they know to put safeguards whenever they are in the presence of that person. Their children are safer because of that terrible wrong.
Forgiving and forgetting a friend who betrays us is especially hard. Don’t you think it is insightful and comforting to know that the Lord understands that kind of hurt. Jesus was betrayed for thirty pieces of silver and said as Judas approached, “Friend.” That is, no doubt, why He gave us His promise that He will never leave us or forsake us.
For friend hurts, we also have this promise: "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:11, 12). Rewards in Heaven for betrayals you have received!
Forgiving past wrongs frees us. Harboring unforgiveness harms only us. In my favorite “Cinderella” movie with live action, Cinderella glances up the staircase near the end of the story at the stepmother who had treated her so cruelly, and she calmly, sweetly says, “I forgive you.” It is one of my favorite moments of the story. Then she walks out the door with her prince and lives happily ever after. Forgiveness is fundamental, and God requires it of us. Say to whoever has hurt you, “I forgive you,” and walk away. We are headed to our own “happily ever after.”
