Time after time we hear in prayer ministry, “Roger and Gerri, I truly thought I’d forgiven ____ for their sin against me. Why don’t I sense that forgiveness has taken root in me? Why does it seem that I come back around this mountain repeatedly, only to meet myself with the sense that the issue is still unresolved?
The answer to this timeless merry-go-round is that forgiveness and healing are two different issues. Forgiveness is a simple act of our will (choice) to forgive the person who hurt us. It can be as straightforward as, “Please forgive me for stepping on your foot” or as difficult as “Please forgive me for committing adultery” or some other very deeply wounding act. Perhaps your child has violated you and dishonored you in some way. It could be that you invested years of your life into someone you thought would never betray you and then it happened. They not only turned their back on you, but they spoke terrible words against you. Woundedness comes as a part of life. We are commanded many places in the scriptures to forgive; to give the gift of forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it just as Jesus forgave us when we didn’t deserve it. We muster the courage to say the words, often times with absolutely no feelings behind them, yet something huge takes place in the realm of the spirit when our mouths say, “I forgive” and our hearts say, “I really want to do this.” It must be by faith that we courageously speak the words and then release the person of all responsibility. When we do that, we have just taken the bold first step in our own healing journey. Read the rest of this entry »
