Forgiving someone will not change your past, but it will change your future.
Wow! It is amazing to me how something so simple can be so hard. Am I the only one that may not have always had the love of Jesus in my heart, as my initial response, when someone hurts me? I can't be the only one. So, in case I am not, Isaiah 43:18-19 has always been a great starting point for me.
It says: "Forget about what's happened; don't keep going over old history. Be alert, be present. I'm about to do something brand-new. It's bursting out! Don't you see it? There it is! I'm making a road through the desert, rivers in the badlands. (The Message Bible)
Happily, and sometimes very soon after, I can say that I snap out of it, and try to see what is at the root of the hurt, and if I played any part in what happened. Did I contribute to the drama? Did you fight fair? Was I considerate of their feelings and what they may have thought? Because at the end of the day, we are all human. We make mistakes.
The good news is that God is greater, bigger, better, and knows what was going to happen before it played out. Sometimes He allows us to go through the trial to see where our heart lies in the matter. Sometimes He allows us to go through the hurt to spear us from the heartache that was to come. Sometimes He allows us to be hurt to remember that it is not about us, but the One who saved us and loved us first. God is bigger than any hurt, circumstance, or feeling. Trust God and know that the hurt you feel can only be temporary to the future that He is preparing you for now.
Father God, thank you for loving me enough to allow me to feel every hurt, and protecting me from that hurt that I would not have been able to bounce back from, and never experienced. Lord, mold my heart to break for the things that break yours, and guard my mind from thoughts that are not from You. Let my heart no longer be troubled, and allow me to focus on the future before me. Let me be quick to forgive and slow to anger, for this I know is your heart’s desire for me.
In Your Son’s Name I pray. Amen.
