Forgiveness is not just one-off. I hope it was, but not. Aside from the Lord’s forgiveness for salvation, choosing to forgive others is an ongoing process.
I have experienced challenging situations in my life, and I have learned that forgiveness opens the door to emotional healing and helps me move forward with new strengths. Walking isn’t an easy door, but it always leads to growth and freedom.
After the last presidential election, I witnessed hatred that I had never experienced before. There have been some terrible things said about our president and his family about things I don’t repeat. I was deeply saddened to see social media posts mocking, screaming, and even cursing people in leadership.
Things became personal when I began to receive direct messages denounce me and my family. This surprised me because I have never shared my political beliefs or opinions publicly.
As the accusations continued, I felt at first off-rails. I even allowed it to shut me up for a while.
During that quiet time I asked God to help me forgive and turn my anger into peace. He was faithful to his answer, and reminded me of the words of Jesus in Luke 23:34.
The Lord helped me to see my accuser from his point of view, and softened my heart towards them. He reminded me of my real enemies, enemies that steal, kill, and destroy. When I began to see things from a spiritual standpoint, the underlying anger turned into overwhelming peace.
Forgiveness does not mean that we will always reconcile with the criminals. That’s fine. But it’s still a choice to love and forgive them. The Bible is our true guide in these situations, saying, “More than anything, love one another deeply, as love covers many sins.” (1 Peter 4:8)
God’s love is the foundation of emotional healing. When we choose Christ’s love rather than tolerance, we live in peace, even if someone else says it.
This is a prayer for peace rather than anger:
Lord, the wounds and anger I feel are sometimes overwhelmed. Replace my sinful anger with your great love and mercy. Father, my accusers don’t know what they are doing, so I choose to forgive them. I will receive your overwhelming peace today in the powerful name of Jesus.
It turns the misery of growing into fulfillment of joy
In my half century of life, I have found that the unforgiving people are the most miserable. The proverb “shoulder tip” is obvious to those who hug grim and don’t want to forgive him.
The remedy is at Nehemiah 8:10, saying, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” The true and lasting joy of Christ allows us to forgive. Instead of focusing on all the negativity in the victim’s mindset, we are always reinforced with our inner man to please the Lord.
The Holy Spirit saves us from misery by filling us with the rich joy of His existence. When he lives within us, we have the fruit of His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
Refusing to forgive is like carrying a backpack full of stones. Each stone is heavily denialized, cheating and attacked. Over time, it becomes tiring to put one foot in front of the other as the backpack feels very heavy. But when you choose forgiveness, the burden of misery lifts from your shoulders and offers immeasurable relief. What joy will you find when you release all the stones of attack to your Savior! He knows what to do with our miserable confusion and offers us emotional healing.
This is a prayer that turns misery into fulfillment of joy:
Lord, I have allowed others to make me miserable for too long. Today I choose joy. Your joy is my strength and allows me to release all attacks on you. Thank you for removing this unforgiving heavy load. You are my true and lasting joy! Jesus’ holy name, Amen.
It turns into seeking revenge and seeking justice
Over the past few weeks we have witnessed a horrifying display of people cheering on the downfall (and death) of others. Revenge seems to be a motivator without considering the emotional damage it is doing. It is disguised as a form of justice, and it only captures the heart of mercy and hatred.
No matter how much you oppose people, it’s never okay to want harm or malice. In fact, the Bible directs the opposite.
Forgiveness of our enemies is difficult, and revenge may seem like a logical next step. But when the emotions calm down and when the Holy Spirit intervenes, we can see things from a true sense of justice.
Praise the Lord for his righteousness. When he says, “It’s mine to revenge. I’ll pay it back,” we can trust him. (Deuteronomy 32:35)
When we hand over a small giveaway to the righteous judge, there is incredible healing. He reveals everything and makes everything new. We can trust him for all the strong sense of revenge and return on investment.
This is the prayer for justice against vengeance:
Lord, I want to hurt and hurt others because I am hurt and injured. Forgive me and clean me up from all iniquity. Completely forgive and leave all your vengeance to you. This is the only way of true justice and peace. Jesus’ correct name, Amen.
It turns the break into whole
The saddest part about not being forgiven is that it keeps us breaking and prevents us from walking in wholeness with Christ. When bitterness takes root, we don’t live the right way, but we are consumed by fraud. The longer this lasts, the harder we will we will and purposes.
When forgiveness opens the door to emotional healing, we are led to God’s presence and a pasture of peace. Our broken, bitter heart is repaired to the tranquility of His love and grace. As Psalm 23 shows so beautifully, “The Lord is my shepherd. I do not want him. He will lie down in a green meadow. He will still lead me to the side of the water. He will restore my soul. (vs. 1-3)
Imagine forgiveness as a journey. You are standing on the fence line by making decisions. You can either step into the pasture of forgiveness or stay at the gate where thorns and thistles lie. The choice is yours.
Listen to the good shepherd calling you today. He replaces anger with peace and misery with joy. He picks up your broken bits and restores your soul. Will you go through the door of forgiveness today? The gate is open and the Savior is calling. We will not regret this healing step into Christ’s greater peace, joy and wholeness.
More resources for forgiveness:
The liberation of forgiveness
Six powerful steps to truly forgive someone
5 reasons to forgive – Even if you can’t forget
Photo Credit: ©getTyimages/ipopba
Jennifer Waddle is the author of several books, including the Prayer Warier. Turn all worries into powerful prayers and are regular contributors to Lifeway, Crosswalk, Abide and Christian Care International. Jennifer’s online ministry is mama.com, an encouragement to find her book and sign up for weekly posts. Disappointment doesn’t win. She lives with her family near the foot of the Rocky Mountains, her favorite place on earth.
