Forgiveness. What a concept. It must be so nice to just forgive so freely, so naturally. Me? This does not come so naturally for me. I have to work at it and I have to work hard. And guess what? I’m still not there yet. I’m not your girl who knows how to forgive easily and right away. When the same people do the same hurtful things over and over, I am tempted to hold grudges and not let go. But do you know who that is hurting? Me. It’s hurting me. The only one this is hurting is me.
Not Letting Go is Hurting Me
Why is it so crucial to forgive? As Christians, we should be striving for peace in our relationships. This doesn’t mean that there won’t ever be drama, but we should be willing and striving to let go of things in order to live at peace. So, what makes this hurt me? When we aren’t willing to forgive, we are assuming all responsibility of carrying that pain and hurt with us instead of handing it to God. Why would we want to carry pain and hurtful feelings around with us when we have a gracious God who is more than willing to carry those things for us?
I’m Not in Control
One thing that makes letting go so hard is the feeling of not being in control. We want to assume the role of making sure the other person(s) gets the “punishment” that they deserve. That punishment is not ours to give, no matter how much we want it to be. It is not our job to ensure that the person that hurt you “gets what they deserve.” God tells us that He will take care of what needs to be done so that we don’t have to. We don’t need to worry about making sure the other person pays for what they have done.
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
Romans 12:19 NIV
This is Keeping Me From My True Potential
I know this is easier said than done, but I encourage you to to think about these things if you struggle with letting things go like I do. We can only live up to our true potential if we let go and give these hardships to God. Bitterness, not forgiving, and failing to let things go can weigh on our hearts and make us miserable. That’s not fair to make yourself suffer because of what someone else did, is it? Remember, if you don’t let go, it’s only hurting you.
Thank you so much for reading my post today! Follow me on Instagram at @prettyinplaids for more updates!
With Love, Emily
