Happy Easter
Today I reflected on the beautiful gift of forgiveness Jesus gave all of us. We know Jesus did not die on the cross just so we could live comfortable, well-adjusted lives. He wants us to accept Him as our Savior, forgive others as He forgives us, and let Him in to fill our hearts with love. When we forgive someone who hurts us so badly, He knows it isn’t easy, but It makes Him happy because His sacrifice will not have been wasted, and we understand the gift of love he gave us; God’s one divine purpose, the gift of forgiveness.
Our Lord, the Savior, wants us to do our best and emulate His example of love. He knows we will make mistakes as we try to live by His outstanding example of love. He lived His life for us, and the sacrifice He paid on the cross to forgive us in advance for all our sins in the future is something we could never do, not genuinely for every sin committed against everyone. We struggle forgiving people closest to us who hurt us. Forgiveness is our “immediate responsibility.” Sometimes we take longer than we know the Lord wants us to when we need to forgive. What’s important is to let go of resentment, grudges, and anger from our hearts and not take long to forgive. Forgiveness heals us and others and defeats satan. Why would you wait only to suffer more? We must do what Jesus asked, “Forgive one another as I have forgiven you.”
Oh, how satan loves trickery, chaos, and confusion. He fools our minds into believing that if we forgive someone who hurt us, we will certainly get hurt again or be condoning their wrongdoing. Forgiveness is not accepting sin or inviting sin against us back in. We can still love as we forgive and use caution and discernment in the future. That grace we extend to others will please the Lord, and it is the consistent grace He gives us even though He knows we will sin again. When we forgive and hold nothing back, it sets us free spiritually, and satan loses.
I struggled with forgiveness for so long. I still do, but it’s different. My relationship with God has constantly been growing because I have a desire to please Him. My husband Michael brings such added blessings of faith to my life, and we remind one another of God’s love for us. I also have the gift of his beautiful family and their faith in God. You have enhanced my relationship with God. We are stronger in numbers! I don’t feel like I am drifting down a river thrashed about on rocks; instead, it feels like I must make more of an effort and swim upstream against the current from one stone to another as long as I am moving in the right direction. God is with us during the hard times.
So many times in my life, I felt hurt, betrayed, and deceived. Had I understood how valuable it was to forgive them sooner, I would have felt so much more joy and peace in my life. “I’m learning.” Every act of forgiveness I do is small compared to what Jesus did for me and our world. If He can forgive someone I am resisting to forgive, my influence is not from anything other than the enemy. God knows I am causing my suffering by listening to satan’s lies that cause anxiety and fear. Jesus wants me next to Him, to trust Him with my brokenness and pain. God is the perfect comforter, and He can handle it all. Even as I make those mistakes and take my time, Jesus still gives me the gift of His forgiveness without delay. He forgave us at that cross before we sinned. Today is a beautiful reminder, and we celebrate together this Easter, in our hearts, on this blessed day.
~Love Shannon
