Unforgiveness
Scripture:
Matthew 18:33-35
Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”
Reflection:
Today I choose to fast from the sin of unforgiveness.
If resentment is the firewood of anger, then unforgiveness is the gasoline. When we’re hurting we often think that forgiveness means letting the other person off the hook, excusing their harmful behaviour. In reality, forgiveness is far less about the other person than it is about you. Unforgiveness keeps us wrapped up in our hurt and can negatively impact our mental, emotional and physical health.
Contrary to what we may think, forgiveness is also not about a feeling. Forgiveness is a choice that we make, often before we even feel like it. There are four key steps to this choice:
Decide to forgive, don’t wait on your emotions
Depend on God to help you lean into grace
Pray for the other person
Bless the other person by speaking well of them, not engaging in gossip.
And while these steps are often easier said than done, it’s only through forgiveness that you will find the freedom to let go and heal from past hurts.
Questions for Personal Reflection:
Who do I need to forgive?
Which of the four steps to forgiveness do I struggle with most often?
Prayer:
Talk to God about the person/people that you need to forgive. Share honestly about the hurt that you have experienced and the barriers to forgiveness that you are facing. Pray for those who have harmed you and ask God to help you lean into grace and forgiveness for them. Don’t worry if you don’t feel like forgiving them right now, trust that God will walk with you through this experience no matter where you are on the journey.
These devotions have been adapted from “Lenten Healing: 40 Days to Set You Free from Sin” by Ken Kniepmann.
