"Forgive"

When someone stops caring,

It’s probably caused by hurt,

They’ve felt someone’s rejection,

It stings ‘em like a quirt.

And if they hold that feeling,

And nurse their wound too much,

It turns to something bitter,

And poisons to the touch.

Anything can trigger,

When touching that old wound,

Reactions full of anger,

Discordant, out of tune,

With love that is the healer,

That lifts the burden so,

We always will remember,

But without pain, you know.

And then the strength God give us,

To cancel every debt,

It’s just what He did for us,

And we can pass it yet.

But only if the Spirit,

Takes away the grief,

Enables us to share it,

It give us sweet relief.

So if you’ve thought you’ll never,

Get over what they did,

The truth is you’ll get through it,

And all your hurt get rid,

‘Cause by His wounds He heals us,

By His stripes makes whole,

And we can give forgiveness,

As freely as we’re told.

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Col. 3:13, NLT)

Lord, help us! This might just be the greatest challenge of the Christian life. Forgiving others as we are forgiven by the Lord is a tall order, and not easily filled. How do we do it? Especially when we are devastated by hurt. I’ve actually had people say to me, “You would not expect me to forgive if you knew what they did to me.” I get it that feeling completely! But, fact is, the Lord DOES know, and still says we must forgive them. Why is so important? I believe it is because of the disastrous effect of unforgiveness on our souls. There is nothing so damaging as when bitterness takes root and poisons us. it also poisons our relationships with others, because we have a tendency to react to them out of our hurts. What do we do about it? We must release every hurt to the Lord and ask Him to heal us. Then and only then will we be able to forgive. We can’t do it by simply trying harder. The pain is too much. But when God counteracts the pain with His healing, we can find the will and the emotional energy to LET IT GO. It’s a happy day when we do.

Lord, help us forgive as we have been forgiven, in Jesus’ name.

Art by R.S. Riddick, rsriddick.com. Used by permission. Thanks, and God bless you.