The Heart of the Matter

There is a song whose lyrics go, "I've been trying to get down to the heart of the matter, but my will gets weak and my thoughts seem to scatter but I think its about forgiveness, forgiveness..."

Forgiveness breeds happiness. "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven," (Psalms 32:1) Blessed means happy. Not only are we happy when we know we have been forgiven but we are happier when we forgive others for their sins against us. Some things may seem very hard to forgive. When a person hurts you deeply (whether physically or emotionally) it is especially hard to forgive. It can be even harder to forgive someone who has not asked for your forgiveness and who is not even present physically but whose transgression remains in your spirit; for example an ex-lover, former co-worker or supervisor, deceased relative or even a virtual stranger who robbed, abused and/or raped you. It may also to be hard to forgive a person if you yourself have never committed the same offense. However we must remember that under different circumstances we may have done similar things or that just because we have not done a particular dastardly deed it doesn't mean we are completely blameless and eternally free from sin. All have sinned at some point in their life, and more accurately in many points in our lives. You may not be a physically violent person but your words may be cutting. You may not be a burglar but you may bend the truth and manipulate your way to something that does not rightfully belong to you. Or perhaps you are bitter and unforgiving. Remember the scripture, "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven." (Luke 6:37)
Furthermore the Bible states, "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." (Mark 11:25)
And most importantly when Jesus instructed us on how to pray He included a special note about forgiveness, "Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors... For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matt. 6:12,14-15)

When you are unforgiving you hold on the the hurt and you hold up your own progress. Forgiveness lets the person off the hook and it also frees you. Now do not become alarmed and ask, 'what about justice?' Rest assured that God means business when He says, "Vengeance is mine, saith the Lord, I shall repay." (Romans 12:19) If you are a person of faith and you believe God made the world and everything therein, then that scripture should reassure you that God will judge and handle the situation. We ought to pray for those who spitefully use us, because we do not wish the wrath of God on anyone. The heart of the matter is then not just forgiveness but God's trustworthiness. Do you trust Him to deal with your enemies? Do you trust that if you forgive them and let that anger go out of your heart instead of fester and grow, do you trust that "all things will work for the good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose?"

Pray and meditate over forgiveness. You will find yourself lighter and freer to live a blessed life when you forgive your enemies.

Be forever blessed in Christ Jesus.