Let Go and Let God

You cannot genuinely embrace someone who you have not fully forgiven.  ~ Chuck Swindoll

Have you ever crossed paths with someone who has hurt you in some way and you feel like running away from them or you feel anger rising up inside?  More likely than not, that person hasn’t been fully forgiven for an offense that they caused.  Of course, you certainly would not want to embrace that person…not genuinely anyway. I can honestly say that I’ve been in that situation. 

It’s been my experience that I will forgive someone, I’ll be fine for a while and then I’ll see them again and anger, although less than the time before, will rise up again.  So, in this situation I forgave them again…and again…and again…until I could say that I had genuinely forgiven them.  In all truthfulness, then, and only then was I able to genuinely embrace that person.  Of course not all offenses take me that long to get over…but deep hurts have taken time for me to fully forgive.  I believe this is what Jesus meant when He said to forgive seventy times seven. (See Matt 18:22)

In order to forgive others, we have to make a conscious effort to forgive…it is a choice.  Go the extra mile and pray blessings for that person.  I have to tell you, I’ve been in a few situations where the person(s) who hurt me, did so in a massive fashion.  (Unfortunately, I’m sure that’s not unusual for many of us!)  God used this to show me how to overcome.  Although I’m far from perfect in this, it has become easier to forgive others.

If you choose not to forgive, the anger that you feel rise up within you will become like a poison to your life and well being…whether it be emotionally, spiritually or physically.

Give it to God…let Him deal with the person.  We were not created with the capability to deal with it.  We were created to need God to deal with it.  He is Justice.  Let go and let God.