Have you had someone close to you hurt you?
Maybe they lied to you and pretended they never did anything wrong.
Or never said sorry.
Someone you never thought would hurt you.
It’s a hard pill to swallow.
It’s easy to get bitter because they did you wrong.
Their lies and deceit seem like good reasons for harboring unforgiveness and hard feelings.
I’ve been reading and thinking about the account of Joseph. His brother’s hated him. They wanted to kill him. Instead, they decided they would sell him as a slave and tell their father a wild animal killed him.
Joseph’s story shows God never leaving him and even raised him to second in command in Egypt. And 13 or 14 years later when Joseph has good reason to want revenge on his brothers, instead he welcomes them and forgives them.
He forgave them before they repented (if they ever did.)
It’s hard for me to fathom that kind of forgiveness. And it’s definitely not a forgiveness that’s going to happen in our human strength.
It’s a forgiveness that can only happen with God’s help.
Our reasons to hold on to anger and hurt feelings don’t measure up when we look at Joseph’s example.
Still, it’s so hard.
But God hasn’t called us to do easy things.
He calls us to be different.
And He promises us that in our weakness, His strength is made perfect.
He promises us that if we call on Him, He will answer.
Maybe they don’t deserve forgiveness.
Maybe what they’ve done IS terrible.
Maybe they aren’t sorry.
But that’s between them and God.
We must focus on our relationship with God.
If we want to be closer to God, we need to be fully obedient to His word.
To receive His full blessing and plan for our lives, it’s going to take full reliance and faith in Him.
It’s going to take lots and lots of prayer for Him to help us.
But whatever our circumstances, God will use them for good if we seek His will for our lives.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
I’ve been studying on forgiveness a lot lately. Forgiveness isn’t for the ones who hurt you at all; it is God gift of peace for us. This is hard for me, but with Gods help and guidance I’m slowly making progress. Thanks, as always, for sharing.
It is so hard for me too. I need to constantly pray for God to help me in this area. Which is probably what he desires anyway…a constant praying heart to Him!