25 Days God Given Gifts - Day 23 - FORGIVENESS

Day 23 ~ Unwrapping the gift of:

FORGIVENESS

Be kind and compassionate to one another, 

forgiving each other,

 just as in Christ God forgave you. 

Ephesians 4:32 

I was in my early 20’s when my mother brought some of these forgiveness verses mentioned here, to my attention. I was struggling with the emotional turmoil of an older woman who hated me.  She hated me due to lies she believed about me. It was at that time I learned a hard lesson about forgiveness, and praying for people that had wronged me.  

This woman didn’t ask me to forgive her and she was never remorseful for the hurtful things she said to me, but I chose to forgive and to pray for her.  In turn, it released me from bitterness taking root.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NKJV)

When we harbor resentment and hatred in our hearts, we’re hurting ourselves and those that love us.  Healing can’t begin until you reach a point of forgiveness.  In 1999 Craig Scott was in the library of his high school – Columbine, when two shooters massacred his close friends and classmates in front of him. 

He didn’t know until the next day that his sister Rachel Scott had been one of the first students killed in the cafeteria.  He tells how hatred and bitterness took root and consumed him.  A mentor shared some life changing words with him.

Forgiveness is like setting a prisoner free and finding out that prisoner was you.

Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

Luke 6:28 (KJV)

I’ll close with a very moving video of a dear woman of God, Corrie Ten Boom. As a Holocaust survivor, Corrie endured horrific circumstances while in the concentration camps.  She tells in her own words, a situation where she came face to face with one she did not have the human strength to forgive.  

He extended his hand to her and asked forgiveness.  Listen to what she did when faced with this difficult situation.   If you don’t have time to watch it now, please come back to it.  It’s about 7 minutes long and well worth it.

If you aren't able to view the video above, you can find it here on you tube:
Corrie Ten Boom - How to Forgive

Thank you so much for visiting today.  I hope and pray if bitterness and resentment has taken root in your heart, you’ll consider these scriptures and seek the Lord’s help in forgiving.

You can find this series in the following places:

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Here on this Blog