Forgiving Hurts

Have you ever had a hard time to forgive someone who hurt you badly?

I guess, this is the area that many individual have to deal with at some point. I consider it to be the major root of many physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual problems as I can see today - including myself.

I (we) always have the attitude - "I don't think I could ever forgive that person who hurt me", How can I forgive him, I feel that I have been dealt with in such an unjust, unfair, harmful way that I (we) can't let go of that pain.

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Eph. 4:31-32)

Somehow, as a Christian, we have to face the fact that we are all going to be hurt no matter how, no matter when - we have been hurt, are hurting now, or we are going to be hurt by somebody in some point. We may be facing this challenge in our spiritual lives right now, how are we going to dealt this pain to forgive someone?

The only way we can insulate ourselves against being hurt is removing ourselves completely from the possibility of love.

"to risk love is to risk hurt". It is hard to face it, isn't it? hurt is unavoidable, but we can deal with hurt, no pain is too deep or to widespread to be beyond the power of God's forgiveness working in and through us.

God have commanded us always for our good, and this one is no exception - Jesus plainly taught in Matthew - Matthew 6:14-15 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Even though we facing the position to forgive - I believe, by the power of the Holy Spirit we can still be gentle and will give us the right conviction and the gentleness to forgive coz God can forgive us every time we ask for forgiveness.

Colossians 3:13 Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

How often and earnestly long-suffering and forbearance are enjoined! Nor have we ground for expecting that God will forgive us unless we also forgive.

To forgive is a choice that we make and it is an act of our will, and it is a will of God that He wants us to do. "love to one another".