Friendships come and friendships go.
Have you ever met someone that you thought you could stay friends with forever, only to find out it all came crashing down perhaps when you least expected it? Maybe it was a best friend you had growing up, a parent who has deeply hurt you, the heartbreak of divorce, or a sibling you no longer keep in touch with. It’s like a death of a person in a sense, the betrayal of a confidence.
I have a lot of friends that I have lost, some seemingly unnecessarily. It stings to feel a rejection, and my first reaction can naturally be bitterness and anger. However, what I’ve found is praying for those who I feel have wronged me brings about a softness in my heart, a compassion and forgiveness that Our Heavenly Father fills me with. It’s supernatural, as on my own I don’t have the capacity to love and forgive unconditionally.
It’s like Corrie Ten Boom, a Jewish woman, who was able to come face to face with one of her captors after World War 2 and literally look him in the eyes and be overcome with God’s heart and forgiveness for him in a moment in which anger and hate should have welled up within her instead. Supernatural power, offered to us, in Christ alone.
Ephesians 4:31-32 states, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
We all have people we need to forgive, some on a daily basis. No matter how good we are, we just can’t possibly forgive the way we should unless we tap into Jesus and His supernatural forgiveness for US first at the cross; then we will able to forgive those who have wronged us.
I tend to forget how much I need forgiveness. If we don’t see our own need for it, a judgmental spirit towards people will get in the way of offering grace and forgiveness to others.
Colossians 3:13 reminds us, “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.“
Are you a forgiving person? Praise God He is, and He desires to put a heart of forgiveness in US towards EVERYONE. We will be hurt by people, but we can live in the freedom of forgiveness. Live this promise! All things are possible with God.
I love hearing testimonies of others who can affirm God's forgiveness can be received and extended! It is supernatural, and as you stated, things can be made "beautiful again." 🙂
By God's grace, I've experienced forgiveness in both directions, having received and extended it in times of great hurt and suffering. There truly is supernatural power in forgiveness, power to heal and restore and make beautiful again, that could only come from the Lord.
Glad you found it dear sister in Christ! It is a way for all of us to have fellowship and be encouraged together! Keep visiting, you are welcome to join us in this blog. 🙂
just followed the link from Facebook. Thank you for sharing what God tells to your heart. The inspiration is challenging and encouraging! – Sol
Thank you so much! I replied below and I so appreciate your comments and sharing that your pastor spoke on this topic! Wonderful!!
Very true. Jesus is our ultimate example! His final act of love and forgiveness on this earth while He was a human is beyond our wildest comprehension: to love, pray, have compassion on, and die for those who hate you. We may have heard the story a thousand times, but if you take a moment to ponder what Jesus did, it's utterly ludicrous and yet it's our salvation! Thank you, Jesus!
Yes!
at church today we discussed how God wants us to Love the world. That means loving our enemies just as we love our friends. Obviously it may look a little different. But to know that God even wanted to forgive those that were crucifying him, offers us the ultimate example of compassion and love.
Oh I loved hearing your voice on forgiveness here, as it touches so many relationships as you mentioned. The spirit of unforgiveness so easily can creep into us, and without God's heart we can't find freedom from it. Let's keep praying for all those in our lives, and we'll experience the supernatural!
What a great testimony of God's forgiveness for ourselves when we are consumed with guilt. Thank you for sharing that, Marcia! God is faithful to answer when we call out. Wonderful to hear this today!!
What a great post Krystal, a powerful reminder of how important both prayer and forgiveness are. Jesus said, "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Matthew 6:14-15 NIV.
https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.6.14-15.NIV. I find unforgiveness from that passage to be a pretty sobering thought. I certainly want my sins to be forgiven but agree that sometimes it's hard when our emotions are involved, when we feel wronged or deeply hurt by someone, to forgive. And just like you said that's where Jesus steps in to help us! I've certainly experienced these feelings you describe with friends, family, parents, and my husband's family, you name it lol. And I've experienced the softness and compassion that comes when I pray for someone who has hurt me without even really realizing it until your post! I've been praying for these people because of who they are in our lives, especially to my husband and my kids and it's amazing how I'm not upset anymore about things they've said or done to hurt me. I have a deeper understanding of how their own hurts and desires in their hearts cause them to act how they do. I feel like this understanding of them is guarding my heart from getting upset and hurt by them in the future! Praise God!
Thank you Krystal for this reminder!
One of the biggest realization I had in life was to discover I was stuck with guilt. Years ago when I was 13 years old I had a very special friend. I broke her heart and never had a chance to say I was deeply sorry. For many years I tried to get in contact with her but she didn’t want to connect anymore. I prayed God to forgive me for the pain I caused her heart. I asked God to free me of the guilt I was living with. I couldn’t do it alone! God cured my heart and allowed me to feel free. I was living for years in pain and guilt. I know God has cure her heart the same way he did mine. Faith is a divine virtue that allow us to trust and have the conviction that everything will be fine!