And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” — Mark 11:25

Forgiving Others

One of the most challenging experiences in life is forgiving others. Because letting go of hurt feelings caused by the wrongdoings of others isn’t easy. And even if it’s justified nothing good comes from harboring negative emotions towards others.

In fact, an unforgiving heart opposes God’s will (Matthew 6:15).

I know the hardship from an unforgiving heart. When my wife divorced me, it abolished our marriage and my reaction wasn’t holy. I responded with a bitterness filled with resentment and full of anger.

I couldn’t imagine allowing her the privilege of forgiveness. The negative feelings I experienced from her choice to separate us, set me on a path of self-destruction. Instead of relying on Christ I spent the next eight years in a drunken state. I chose alcohol as a relief from the emotional anguish and this ended with devastating results.

Another destructive behavior I had was every time I thought of her, it robbed me of my serenity. My thoughts became engulfed with hatred and kept me in a sinful state-of-mind. I refused to think on the good aspects of the marriage and this prevented me from letting go of my rage.

As seen above, many problems arose from my failure to forgive.

How Did I Forgive

You must wonder how I came to forgive her.

The answer is prayer and living in Christ.

I had to spend time with Christ on the issue and waited for His instructions on how to move past my sinfulness.

And the rewards for coming to the spirit of forgiveness were astonishing.

First, God’s spirit became stronger showing me the wisdom behind making peace with her.

Next came an inner-peace unlike any other. This spiritual freedom overtook my hardened heart leading to a renewed soul.

Next, it strengthened my bond with Christ giving me powerful spiritual courage to face the wrongdoing of others.

And today I find it easier to forgive. This doesn’t mean I don’t struggle with forgiveness but it shortens the time between holding onto the hurt and releasing it to Christ.

Forgive Because We’re Forgiven

When you cannot forgive someone, remember God’s forgiveness.

Here’s something we both can agree on; forgiveness is an indispensable virtue in the Christian faith. In fact, God holds its value in high esteem because He sacrificed His Son to forgive sin. Since the Lord forgave us through Christ, then unlocking its power must come from Jesus.

With this in mind, the solution to forgiving others is persevering in a personal relationship with Christ. This means trusting Him with our lives.

So, when you find it impossible to let go, place yourself in God’s hand and discover an inner-strength to overcome the impossible!

This devotion originally appeared on Devotable written by Walter Kahler

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