Brave Day #26: Forgiveness

Been struggling with someone who hurt me.  We all do.  It's an unfortunate part of life.

This week that hurt has been a little more raw for various reasons and the very human part of me has wanted to lash out at that person and expose them for the hypocrite I see them to be.  But then I realize that my refusal to forgive makes me no less than the same.

So thankful to be travelling through the Psalms of Ascent with some amazing, godly women.  So thankful to sit and hear Beth Moore talk about forgiveness tonight on the video.

She says, We think if we forgive, they win ... but really, if we don't, the enemy wins.

I love that she is so honest and brave enough to say what I feel but don't want to speak ... that I really want this person to suffer for how they treated me.  I want them to be eaten up with guilt.  I want them to be ineffective in ministry because of their sin. 

But I don't want to be eaten up with this anger and bitterness.  I know the harm I am doing by refusing to forgive does not hurt them, but me.  And it does not change their action or cause them to make things right ... in my heart, I am not even sure what that person could do to make things right, anyways.

2 Corinthians 2:10-11 tells us to forgive people ... in the sight of Christ ... in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

I know, I know that the enemy is looking for any foothold into our lives and our ministries ... anyway He can dig in and make us doubt, become discouraged, become distracted ... and he so often accomplishes that through other believers.  I wish it were not so.  But we cannot afford to be unaware of his schemes.  We cannot allow him to outwit us.  He is so good at taking God's truth and bending it just enough that it still looks similar, but really is not. 

So, today, my BRAVE moment is to choose to forgive someone whose hurt in my life cuts deep and whose consequences of their actions I live in the aftermath of each day.  I will choose to forgive, not because I am good enough or I think they are sorry enough (or at all) ... but because I am forgiven and that's the standard God's given us.  And I will have to choose to forgive tomorrow ... and the next day ... and the next.