The Power of Forgiveness frees us from all burdens and makes us feel that we are doing the right thing in the eyes of God. But how difficult it can be to forgive from the heart and not remember what happened. This healing of wounds takes time and that is why we must persist in prayer and not stop reading the word that gives us many examples of the benefits of forgiving.
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the power of forgiveness
When we are hurt, we feel betrayed and feel the need to be repaid in some way. We aspire for justice and sometimes we ask God to punish the oppressor. And this is based on the Bible:
“Let those who seek my life be ashamed and confused; let those who plot evil against me be put to flight and humiliated. Be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD chasing you. May their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.” (Psalms 35:4-6)
In this sense, in the Holy Scriptures we can find many verses that tell us about asking our God for help so that the enemy’s plan does not prosper. We all want justice and the Lord is just, that is why we must first go to him before doing it ourselves, motivated by anger.
5 Steps to forgive and move on with our life
The power of forgiveness must be activated in our lives to advance our personal and spiritual growth. Many times we feel that we have been used, betrayed, and hurt but maybe we have too, and yet God has forgiven us. In the same way that he does it, we must do it, as the word expresses:
“I, I am the one who erases your rebellions for love of me; and I will not remember your sins” (Isaiah 43:25)
In this sense, if we want to continue with our lives without bearing the guilt, with the bitter weight of unforgiveness, we must let go of everything that hurt us, learn from it and move forward in projects, goals and try to be happy. because that’s what life is all about.
Certainly forgiving is not easy, it requires a full willingness to leave the past behind and enjoy the present. It may take time for you to fully forgive, but in the process you will begin to feel free and happy because the resentment, anger, disappointment will gradually dissipate.
Turn pain into teaching, betrayal into a great teacher and let wounds form your character. This requires great value that only Christ can give you. Take the following steps to activate the power of forgiveness in your life:
1.- Recognize that unforgiveness has an impact on your life
You must accept and understand the person who hurt you and who is affecting you. Consider that if you make the decision to forgive it is because you deserve it, since you need to be completely free. The power of forgiveness is not about the person who hurt you, but about what is good for you and your life.
When you accumulate unforgiveness, it causes you to be in a bad mood, bitter, sad and resentful all the time. That is why it is essential that you learn to control your emotions, to work on your personal and spiritual growth so that nothing that has happened to you in the past and that is even happening to you can interfere with your serenity and joy.
First you must remain calm, and avoid any situation that generates a lot of stress. Focus on what gives you peace in your life. Just as there are people who cause you discomfort, surely there are many who love and support you. After all, it’s not all bad.
It is not about denying the situation, it is about coping, and being able to manage your life normally, without resentment and rage taking over you, and ending up treating people around you badly who have nothing to do with it. see with it.
2.- Reflect on whether you really want to continue without forgiving
This step is very important and decisive, since forgiveness must be from the heart. God searches the hearts and knows everything we feel and what we think, so we cannot deceive him. We must be sure that we want to forgive and move on.
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Love is one of the principles that every Christian should consider, and that love should not only be imparted to our relatives and loved ones, but should also manifest itself in our enemies, as Jesus Christ points out in his gospels:
“But I say to you: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you; so that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven, who makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and who makes it rain on the just and the unjust.” (Matthew 44-45)
In this passage, Jesus Christ teaches us what forgiveness truly means, which has to be from the heart. So it’s useless to say that you forgave if you continue talking about it, remembering, getting angry. You own your own actions and forgiveness must be something voluntary.
Do not allow the person who hurt you to have power over you, over your peace of mind. Choosing the least painful path and overcoming obstacles does not mean that you should go back to that person or try to justify them. Forgiving is about taking away the power to continue hurting you.
3.- Express what you feel
It is essential to release your feelings, vent, express what you feel, and tell the person who hurt you. But this does not mean that you should do it personally, you can use other means of communication to avoid further contention.
But before talking to that person, you must first organize your ideas and know very well what you are going to say. You must use respectful, direct and very honest language. Express everything you feel, in a good way, always trying to mediate the situation.
In this sense, writing a letter can be a good option. But it is not mandatory that you give it to them, but it will help you to vent as much as possible and you can drain everything you feel: anger, rage, disappointment, sadness, impotence, among other emotions that do not allow you to have a life as God wants.
4.- Accept your mistakes
Inside you there may be very harmful emotions generated by not knowing how to forgive in time. These emotions can be disappointment, desolation, rejection, humiliation and sadness.
For this reason it is extremely important that you recognize them and apply empathy. Visualize your mistakes, because we are not perfect, we have weaknesses and fights are between two. So part of the blame lies with us.
However, in the world there are certainly very unfair situations that we cannot control. We live in a society that has been based on material aspects, has turned away from God and is submerged in the desires of the flesh and banalities of the world.
We cannot change the world by ourselves, we are simply God’s instruments that can bring the message of salvation that serves as a light to so much darkness.
But what happens inside us if we can change hand in hand with Jesus Christ because the word exhorts us not to let ourselves be dominated by anger, nor by lack of forgiveness:
“For this reason, my beloved brothers, every man is quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; because the wrath of man does not work the justice of God.” (James 1:19 – 22)
Anger only brings more anger, so we must avoid any situation that leads us to this extreme. The fact of forgiving does not mean that you share the other person’s way of thinking or that you necessarily have to be with them. Forgiveness is internal, but it is externalized the moment we ask for forgiveness. That’s where we free ourselves and let out what held us prisoner.
Acknowledging our mistakes is not justifying the other, it is understanding that we are not perfect and that perhaps something could cause misunderstandings, contentions, fights.
5.- Let go of the situation
Cheer up to move on and don’t look at the past that caused you the wounds. Keep in mind that forgiveness is not an act that occurs from one day to the next, that takes time. It is important not to lose communion with God because many times when we feel bad, discouraged, irritated, we move away from the Lord, and it should be the opposite.
Certainly letting go of the things that hurt us is not easy, but without a doubt it is the way out to personal and spiritual improvement. Letting go implies that I should no longer think about that situation, it implies seeing the positive side and moving forward.
In this sense, the time necessary to be able to forgive from the heart and decide to leave everything behind is something personal and will depend on each particular case. So only you can determine how much time you need to move on and not remember what happened anymore.
In the end, you just need to be face to face with the person who caused you injuries and say “I forgive you.” After that you will feel much better and you will see how your life begins to change. Surely you will feel a less weight on your shoulders.
We do not know the reaction of the other person, but if we approach them in the name of Jesus Christ, they will feel his presence and everything will be given according to the will of God. When there is forgiveness, there is healing, release, and love begins to flow.
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