I am writing about this topic today because I know this is the MOST DIFFICULT thing we have to do as Believers...and that is to FORGIVE (F) somebody that has jacked us up!! I am going to be transparent (as usual). I really have gotten better as I have gotten older, but I am not all the way there yet.
The thing that I have come to know is that forgiveness is one of the most compelling and powerful "gifts" that we possess. Forgiveness is "symbiotic" in nature; it heals both you and the person who wronged you. It also heals and delivers you and the person whom you wronged. F has a wonderful, cleansing effect on the atmosphere. It purges the spirit of anger, lust, bitterness, distrust, malice, pain and frustration. It looses the bonds of wickedness and breaks the shackles of despair. In a word, F precipitates "freedom."
You know what I'm talkin' about. So stop trippin'. I know you remember the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you see the person that wronged you coming down the aisle at your neighborhood grocery store, or little league game or, "Oh no!"..not at the "church house!" Yeah, you got NO LOVE for Sister Jenkins when you see her comin' down to the altar, "Damn right, that's just where that heifer needs to be..at the freakin' altar!" You have the audacity to be in the presence of God with "unholy" hands raised, and stagnant prayers and hold nothing but contempt in your heart. This not good! This is not God!
All the while Sister Jenkins is flowin' and laughin' and enjoyin' herself and you are all messed up! You are carrying the burden of contempt in your heart. F is ever present; we just have to make the decision to let it in our hearts. Unforgiveness destroys your "witness" and it cripples your spirit. You become dysfunctional in your ability to conduct daily functions. The scream was once a whisper and the flickering flame is now a fire raging out of control. Only love and F can extinguish the fire of unforgiveness. Only you can set Sister Jenkins free from the prison of pride, envy, jealousy and hate. In the process, you will also be liberated!
As a child, I remember going to visit Niagara Falls, Canada and would often watch the flow of the Niagara River. It was always so calm on the surface and it amazed me that the river would gain enough momentum in such a short distance to become one of the Seven Wonders of the World. My cousins and I would run along the Canadian side of the Falls (there is an American side as well) to "race" the river until it tumbled over the edge with unbelievable power and fury! The calmness of the surface was very deceptive. To an unsuspecting observer, one might think you would be able to swim across to the other side with no problem. Many people have lost their lives over the years because of this lapse in judgement.
You see, the thing that can kill you in the river as well as life is the "unseen thing." In the case of the river and life the "unseen thing" is referred to as the "under current." The undercurrent of unforgiveness is a lot like that of the river. Oh how we as humans have mastered "putting on the face", feigning calmness, peace and joy all the while we are about to spontaneously combust with anger and rage! Once you get caught in the under current, you are its prisoner and it will take you every where you do not want to go. Some of the destinations in the "under current" are desperation, heartache and anger. It is a hidden opinion, feeling or tendency contrary to the one we display publicly. The under current is death, wrath and hopelessness.
In conclusion, the Hebrew word for F is "calach" (saw-lakh): it means to forgive or pardon; to be "ready" to forgive (recognizing that F is a process); to excuse someone who was wrongly accused; or someone who is guilty, but has suffered enough and it is time to move on." I can speak from personal experience how "unforgiveness" can debilitate you. For the hundreds of people who read my blog every week, please move quickly to forgive the people in your life that need to be forgiven and trust the Lord God that He will move on the hearts of the people that you have wronged so that they will forgive you as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment