Freedom in Forgiveness

For a blog that's named 'Freedom is a Beautiful Thing' my posts rarely have the word 'freedom' in the title. But I'm feeling a mini series might be starting here... Who knows? So it's thought that forgiveness expands life spans. That's not a bad deal, forgiving somebody and gaining a few years to your life. Only it's not that simple when we do it alone.  It's human nature to crave justice, heck that's why I started this blog in the first place! I was sick of the injustice of human trafficking going unnoticed. We crave justice. When somebody does something to us that requires forgiveness it most likely means that an injustice has occurred.  These feelings of passion towards an injustice can quickly turn into feelings of anger, dislike, hate. We can become irrational, forgetting about all of the moments before the injustice took place. The happier moments, the moments that person(s) had been there for us. We can feel not only that we've been hard done by and treated badly but also that we have lost a friend and gained a heap of betrayal.  It would be insane to expect that you forgive that person who lied to you, who stole from you, who abandoned you, right? Especially if they haven't asked for it. Why should they deserve being let off the hook? It's simple - because you have been let off the hook. When Jesus died on the cross He took all of your sins with Him. None of us are perfect! We have been forgiven and, therefore, we should forgive others. Forgiveness lifts a big weight from your shoulders, frees you to sleep well at night and keep the friends that you otherwise might have lost forever.  So the action of forgiveness is clearly a positive one. A longer life and a lighter load. But how do we get to the point where we have totally and honestly forgiven the person(s) who caused so much pain? Jesus. He's ace at the forgiving thing and He's there to give you a lot of help and guidance. It won't make it easy but it will stop the task from being impossible if you ask Him to lend a hand. "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those that sin against us" - speaking the words might be what helps you to truly forgive, down in your heart. For me, I have to ask, I have to get upset with God, and I have to get my strength from Him. He knows I'm upset (with Him) already so there's no harm in telling Him and then asking for help.  I speak from personal experience when I say that there is truly such freedom in forgiveness. The awkward encounters lessen, the anger dissolves, the loneliness dissappears, the hatred leaves, the anxiety stabilises, the joy increases, the love spreads. Sometimes the most rewarding thing about forgiveness is being able to help a friend who might otherwise have no one if you hadn't have stuck around and forgiven them for a mistake they made that hurt you.  Amy xo