~Luke 6:36 (CSB)
One of the hardest things in life is forgiving. When we are hurt. When we are treated poorly. When we feel like we've been cheated. Man, is it hard to get over those feelings.
We're not called on to be doormats. We aren't expected to let people treat us badly over and over again. We're not called on to let the same crook cheat us over and over again. Or to let the same liar mislead us time and again. But we aren't built to carry unforgiveness with us either. We need to learn the lesson, and let it go.
There's a saying "live and learn." Life is a learning experience, and we learn through successes, and we learn through failure--and believe me, we learn a lot more sometimes from failures than successes. Some of the hardest lessons we learn are about people. People sometimes disappoint us. And when we're interacting with people all the time, there are going to be times when we get hurt. It's inevitable. But you can't carry that disappointment with you. The weight will become too heavy, and eventually, it leads to bitterness and mistrust, and anger--and we wind up judging everyone based on the actions of a few who hurt us. There's a lot of things we're better off without.
So let it go. Be a forgiving person. Be a wise person, but be a forgiving person. If we're truly honest with ourselves, we'll realize there are a few things we've done in our lives that need a little forgiveness, too. Remember that we will one day be forgiven in the same way we forgive others. "For if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well." ~Matthew 6:14 (CSB)
~Todd E. Creason
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