Ask yourself a question: Where am I not forgiving freely?
Chances are you have that person or event that comes to mind. The partner who rejected you, the friend who betrayed you, the boss who offended you, the person you should have been able to trust who took advantage of you instead.
Ask yourself another question: Why am I afraid of forgiving?
It’s time to consider that your fear of forgiveness may be the very thing holding you in a pattern of fear in your life.
What’s so scary about forgiveness?
“What if I forgive him and he hurts me again?”
“What if I forgive her, but the anger comes back up later?”
“Am I even capable of letting this go?”
Turns out, there’s a lot about forgiveness that’s scary. That’s why we tend to avoid it altogether. The potential for harm feels greater than the benefits gained. The pain of forgiving can hurt more than the offense itself.
But it’s time to face the fears that are keeping you stuck.
Your fears are holding the person you want to be captive.
Your fears are preventing you from moving forward into the freedom of forgiveness.
Go into the rooms of your heart that hold the memories, the wounds, the pain. Feel the feelings again. Look the pain in the eye, and forgive.
Forgive yourself, forgive your spouse, forgive that boss, forgive your offender, and forgive the Lord.
Experiencing the Freedom of Forgiveness
Living in unforgiveness keeps us living in lies. The lies that tell you you are defined by those experiences, that pain, the circumstances that continue to weigh on our hearts.
But God tells us a different truth.
God tells us we can release those offenses and wounds and live a life free of their bondage.
God tells us the truth of love.
Love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear.
Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.
Forgiveness is liberation.
The only way to experience this kind of freedom is to get in touch with Jesus’s forgiveness of you. Once you realize the depths of forgiveness He has poured on you, there’s only one proper response: forgiveness of others.
Be like Jesus.
Freely give of the freedom He has given.
Be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
Perfect Love Casts Out All Fear
Once you experience Jesus’s love, fear has to go. Freedom from fear makes forgiveness of others possible.
Seek a quiet place with Jesus today, give Him your fears, and experience the freedom of forgiveness.
