January 20, 2010

• The Benefit of Unforgiveness

  Injustice stinks.  Its happened to me and its happened to pretty much everyone around me.  Life can be really unfair at times... some people who don't deserve much suffering endure the worst of it while some people who really deserve the trouble experience very little of it.  Many who have experienced injustice or have been offended have trouble forgiving, and for most they prefer to hold on to the unforgiveness.

  The "benefit" of unforgiveness is basically to hold something against the person.  They may have stolen your pride, your purity, or something else belonging to you... but one thing they can't get is your grace.  Unforgiveness basically enables us to think, "That person owes me something." 

  But is this really a benefit?  Do we really get something out of holding back grace?  Don't unforgiving people usually end up bitter, angry, and/or depressed? 

  Imagine if on the Cross Jesus had said of those who were crucifying Him, "Father, judge them.  Let there be justice for what they have done.  They are an evil people."  Would He have been wrong to say such words?  No, but there also wouldn't be any grace for us.  Rather, Jesus spoke, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34).  Rather than choosing justice or bitterness, Jesus chose grace. 

  The truth is, many people like those who crucified Jesus are so blinded by their sin (2Corinthians 4:4) that they don't realize what they are really doing.  We can't let other peoples' actions determine how we will live our lives.  There is no benefit dwelling upon the past and what they have done to us.  We need to choose grace and choose to bless.

  I find forgiving someone is like opening a sewer lid that has been shut up holding in a lot junk.  And then blessing them begins the purging of the toxic stuff that had been underneath.  The more we bless, the more we are cleansed inside.  Choose grace. 

  God bless!

  • 1:06 am
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