Experience Forgiveness
Psalms 139:
1 O Lord, you have examined my heart
and know everything about me.
7 I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
16 You saw me before I was born.
Every day of my life was recorded in your book.
Every moment was laid out
before a single day had passed.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
24 Point out anything in me that offends you,
and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
Ruth Bell Graham once said, “A great marriage is the union of two forgivers.”
When you forgive your spouse, you are ultimately saying to them, “I choose to give up the right to punish you for how you have hurt me.”
When we forgive another person, it doesn’t mean we forget. And it doesn’t brush it away and pretend that it didn’t happen.
Forgiveness says, “I refuse to dwell on my anger and hurt.” It is an essential step to healing and restoring oneness.
Christ’s death on the cross—His forgiveness—restored our relationship to God. Trust that God can use your forgiveness to restore your relationship and change you both for the better.
Here are 4 steps that will help you express and experience forgiveness:
- Do it privately: Go to God in prayer and say, “God, I forgive _________ for hurting me. I choose to give up the right to punish __________.”
- Do it publicly and specifically: Go to the person and be specific, “I forgive you for ________.”
- Do it graciously: Keep the bigger goal in mind, which is restoring your relationship and rebuilding trust. That means giving up your right to punish!
- Do it generously: Acknowledge your own failings to maintain balance; not one of us is perfect! And once you’ve forgiven, refuse to bring up the matter again in a hurtful way.
Forgiveness gives us the opportunity to re-establish our relationship and make things right with our spouse or a family member.
It removes the issue that creates isolation in a relationship and empowers us to grow in oneness.
10 Keys to Forgiveness:(Emmett I. Aldrich)
1) Let Go of the Anger
2) Don’t be Stubborn
3) Stop Thinking of yourself as a Victim
4) Focus on the Future
5) Re-Learn to Trust
6) Be Reasonable in your expectations of Others
7) Expect that it will take time to Forgive
8) Examine your Heart
9) Let Forgiveness become an Everyday Practice
10) Ask God for Guidance
Lord, Help me see and experience forgiveness in my life, knowing You are the God of restoration. Help me be patient, knowing Your timing is Perfect!
Help us dear God to put aside resentment, hurt, hostility and bitterness so that we may have reconciliation with those who have offended us, and whom we have offended. Amen