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- Apr 25, 2006
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Forgiveness (1)
How heavy is a glass of water? That depends on how far you have to carry it! A minute is no problem and after an hour your arm might ache. But after 24 hours you'll probably be in bad shape! The glass weighs exactly the same the whole time, but the longer you carry it the heavier it feels. It's the same with a grudge; it can get so heavy it stops you from living.
People will hurt you; that's the reality of living anywhere except a desert island with a population of just you. Sometimes the hurt caused is cruel and intentional, but most of the time the person has no idea they even upset you. Does that mean you should go around pretending nothing's wrong? No, the first step is to be honest about how you feel, and when the hurt is deep this can be really hard! That's when you need to pray, 'Lord, change my heart and heal me.'
Jesus said, 'Pray for those who mistreat you' (Luke 6:28 NIV). When you do that an amazing thing happens; you start seeing them through God's eyes instead of your raw emotions. Jesus said, 'If you have anything against someone, forgive - only then will your heavenly Father...wipe your slate clean.' When you don't forgive, God can't forgive you!
written by Bob Gass
How heavy is a glass of water? That depends on how far you have to carry it! A minute is no problem and after an hour your arm might ache. But after 24 hours you'll probably be in bad shape! The glass weighs exactly the same the whole time, but the longer you carry it the heavier it feels. It's the same with a grudge; it can get so heavy it stops you from living.
People will hurt you; that's the reality of living anywhere except a desert island with a population of just you. Sometimes the hurt caused is cruel and intentional, but most of the time the person has no idea they even upset you. Does that mean you should go around pretending nothing's wrong? No, the first step is to be honest about how you feel, and when the hurt is deep this can be really hard! That's when you need to pray, 'Lord, change my heart and heal me.'
Jesus said, 'Pray for those who mistreat you' (Luke 6:28 NIV). When you do that an amazing thing happens; you start seeing them through God's eyes instead of your raw emotions. Jesus said, 'If you have anything against someone, forgive - only then will your heavenly Father...wipe your slate clean.' When you don't forgive, God can't forgive you!
written by Bob Gass
