"Forgive"

Will you stay mad forever,

The question came to mind,

When I was bruised and injured,

And trying hard to find,

A way to obey Jesus,

And let that old wound go,

Forgive the ones who hurt me,

And just deal with it so.

I could let go my anger,

And cancel that old debt,

I knew the Lord would help me,

I just wouldn’t let Him yet.

Don’t know why I held it,

Guess stubbornness and pride,

Kept me from being gracious,

And my own resentment hide.

But see, it’s not about them,

It never really was,

It’s just about the grace of God,

He’s generous because,

He is a God of mercy,

Who knows our hurts the best,

He forgives and heals us,

And unlike all the rest,

He never does remember,

The sins that He forgives,

He loves us without limit,

His grace our hurt outlives.

So we must ask the question,

Do we want to be free,

Or waste another moment,

With bitterness you see.

‘Cause if you drink the poison,

Thinking they will die,

It gives place to the devil,

And he will always lie.

So will you stay mad forever,

It does not have to be,

The stripes of Christ will heal us,

And truly set us free.

“…be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another…” (Ephesians 4:32, NLT)

Forgiving others may be one of the greatest challenges any of us ever face. It must be because of the depth of our hurts. And anyone who has suffered deep wounds at the hands of others know what I’m talking about. But even the deepest wounds can be healed, and the power of healing grace is what empowers us to forgive. Knowing we should is not enough. Trying hard to do it falls short. Even feeling guilty because we know how much we have needed God’s forgiveness has its limits. But when the healing grace of Jesus lifts the burden of hurt from our souls, we are energized to give as freely as we have received. Freely receive, then freely give. That’s the only way It will work. But when it does, the freedom is extraordinary. The free-est people on earth are the ones who have learned the grace of forgiving everyone who has hurt them. Never doubt it, and don’t miss out on it.

Lord, help us forgive others as freely as we have been forgiven by You, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Kim Adams, used by permission. Thanks, Kim, and God bless you.