Are you hurting? Does bitterness and anger rise in you when you remember one thing or the other? Have you been hurt in the past? Does the pain still remain today? Do you hold onto the past by harbouring resentment and bitterness against those who have offended you? What you may fail to realise is that the person most hurt by unforgiveness is you. An unforgiving attitude not only destroys our relationships but also poisons our soul.
An unforgiving attitude eats us up and destroys us from the inside. Jesus said, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:14-15). Being unwilling to forgive shows that you have not understood or benefited from God’s forgiveness. If you fail to receive forgiveness and fail to forgive those who sin against you, you will also find yourself in a torture chamber. What is the meaning of a torture chamber? Your spirit will not be free or available for God. Instead, it will be bound, burdened and useless. You may smile on the outside while crying on the inside.
Don’t allow this to happen to you. Ask God for the grace to release forgiveness to those who have sinned against you and by faith, receive forgiveness from God for your own sins. Remember, because of Christ, you are redeemed, free and forgiven. In the same way, because of Christ, forgive your neighbour.
