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Forgiveness Shall Set you Free!
By Michelle Atengdem
We live in a world that seems to advocate revenge. Starting from top officials of the government and traveling all the way down to the average person, the principle has always been, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” This type of mentality has caused much discord and division. Families and marriages all over the world have been destroyed by the quest for revenge. For some of us who have been hurt, revenge is like an addictive drug, and it often seems as if the one responsible for hurting us cannot suffer enough to quench our thirst for justice. However, the cure for this addiction is a wonderful medicine known as forgiveness.
Forgiveness may be the most difficult thing any person can give. Forgiveness is often done with a struggle because we cannot accept the thought of someone “getting away with” hurting us. Therefore, we hold grudges in our hearts for years, holding on to bitterness to the point where it becomes impossible to move on. Refusing to forgive someone is similar to voluntarily stepping into a cell and locking it. We trap ourselves in the cages of bitterness and resentment while holding the key in hand. All we need to do is to forgive and unlock the door, walking through it to return to freedom.
Most people believe that when you forgive someone who wrongs you, you are setting him or her free, like an exonerated criminal. However, we fail to realize that forgiving someone else will actually set us free. When you let the hurt and pain go, you set yourself free from all the negative emotions associated with holding a grudge. It may be difficult to imagine, but in many cases, the person who wronged you has moved on, no longer thinking about what happened. So why should you hold on to it and be stuck in the past?
Holding on to grudges keeps us from living our lives to the best ability as possible, and makes it hard for us to become the women God calls us to be. Let us forgive and set ourselves free, so that we can enjoy the newfound freedom that comes from unlocking the cells we have put ourselves in.
As a perfect example, Jesus taught us the importance of forgiveness on many occasions. He himself forgave those who crucified him, even before he died, saying: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” (Luke 23:34, TNIV). For all the insults hurled at him, all the pain inflicted, and all the hurt they caused, Jesus asked for his Father to forgive them. According to human nature, our instincts would be to hope that they were punished severely. However, Jesus wanted to make sure that they were not condemned for their actions. This is true love.
In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus was certain to add the phrase: “And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors,” (Matthew 6:12 TNIV), meaning that if we failed to forgive others, God would not forgive us. After all of the wrong things for which we have received forgiveness, who are we to say that someone is not worthy of our forgiveness?
Jesus Christ died on the cross for all, and that includes our enemies, the ones who hurt us, and even the ones who hate us. Let it go and give God His rightful place as ruler and judge of this universe. Once we leave the work up to God, we will have a newfound freedom and a closer walk with God and humanity.
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