Giving Up Anger to God and Learning to Forgive
The power of forgiveness has always been emphasized in Jesus’s teachings. After all, He was sent to die on the cross so our sins would be forgiven. But having been granted this forgiveness from the highest power, we don’t extend the same feelings to those around us.
Luke 6:28 (NLT) says “Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.”
This shows us the attitude that we should offer to everyone around us, including those who we believe have wronged us. But in today’s world, talking about how much you dislike someone for acting against you, is relatively common, and often celebrated—maybe even taking place round the table of a party to which the subject wasn’t invited. This culture of holding grudges and remaining steadfast in our hatred not only damages the way we think, but takes valuable time away from moments spent with God or honoring His word.
Say a friend makes a mistake, and you get a little mad about it. If you know you’ll be over it soon enough, and recognize the good they bring to your life, why hold onto that mistake for longer than needed? Forgiving them as soon as possible instead of dragging out the situation will bring you back to making memories with them much faster.
In these sorts of scenarios, where you feel wronged on a smaller scale, recognizing and letting go of your negative emotions quickly is the best way to work through it. Simply understand that you feel wronged, maybe talk it out, and continue with your life without holding yourself back.
An obstacle arises, however, when you feel as if someone is unredeemable, or unforgivable. They have done something to you that you feel will always hurt, or did or said something that badly affected you.
Romans 12:20-21 (NLT) says: “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads. Don’t let evil conquer you but conquer evil by doing good.”
When we find ourselves overwhelmed with hatred or upset towards another person, we give away that time and energy that could've been spent on other things. We allow ourselves to devote precious mental space to the bad things in our lives, instead of focusing on what is good and brings joy. In short, we allow evil to conquer us.
As a solution to these experiences, there are a few things to remember.
The first is that you may feel that it is your place to judge those who have hurt you, but it is ultimately God's judgment that will have the final say. Instead of dwelling on revenge, remember Jesus's words of forgiveness, pray to the Lord, and pass the situation up to God's will. Not only will you alleviate yourself of the stress of overthinking, you'll turn a bad situation into a way to get closer to Him.
Viewing these bad situations and people as lessons is also a good way to forgive. Instead of filling yourself with rage over what happened, think about what you learnt from it. Whether it's to avoid a certain type of person or place, or just to respect yourself more, these lessons will shape you into a stronger person for the future.
Practicing kindness and being gentle to everyone, including those you dislike, is not only the will of Jesus but something that will impact every person you come into contact with over the rest of your life. Holding grudges, gossiping and sending bad wishes to others isn't going to change anything. But radically forgiving people and doing everything with kindness will go far, even if it just changes one person's day or week for the better.
A step further from forgiving someone you dislike is to forgive the person closest to you…you! Holding your embarrassing moments, mess-ups and mistakes in your mind as a way of deeming yourself incompetent or incapable limits you from your full potential. So let go of the past, and the past versions of yourself you may not want to let resurface. And instead of strengthening these bad memories by reliving or keeping them, choose to forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve made, and work on the future instead.
Jesus teaches us forgiveness to bring us closer to his love and focus our attention on what’s important to us. Forgiving others helps you realize that they were only a small part of the bigger picture, experiences to learn from, and are for God to judge instead of taking up your precious time.
Heavenly Father, I pass those who have wronged me to your judgment. I choose to offer myself to you without clouding my thoughts with revenge and anger. As you have forgiven us for our sins, I ask that you help me forgive anyone who has hurt me, and treat them with grace and kindness. Thank you for your love and your gift of Jesus to us, and help us keep His words in our minds whenever we talk to or about others. Amen.
#forgiveness #repentance #anger #lettinggo #grace #mercy #spiritualdisciplines