Thankful but Unforgiving
We live in a world that has become obsessed with the idea of being “thankful”. Don't get me wrong, I am all about being thankful and having gratitude journals, so don't think that this is a blog that is saying we should not be thankful because I believe we should—and if you don't have a gratitude journal, you should start one. But one thing that I am beginning to notice in the world is that we are living in a thankful but unforgiving world.
Forgiveness is something that takes a lot more effort than being thankful, and it also has better results to the mental emotional and spiritual growth of a person. Think about it this way. When you hold your breath and pass out, the reason you pass out is not because you were not getting enough oxygen—the good stuff—but rather because you are releasing enough carbon dioxide—the bad stuff. Still struggling to understand what I am saying? How about this, the reason many of us are struggling in our Christian walk isn’t because we aren’t being thankful, but because we are not forgiving.
Who exactly should we be forgiving? Yes, we should forgive those that have hurt us, but that isn’t all. We should also forgive those that have hurt our loved ones. Some may say that we have no right to forgive those people, and sure going up to them and saying sorry may leave a puzzled look on their face. But think of forgiveness as washing that person’s feet. Think of forgiveness as letting go of the wrong that they have done and saying the words, “neither do I condemn you.” If there is someone on your mind that bring anger to you, forgiveness is needed.
But we also need to forgive ourselves! We are more harsh on ourselves than Jesus is with us. We are less patient with us than Jesus is with us. We wonder why we are harsh on people and a lot of the reason why is because we tend to be harsh on ourselves. If we would take the time to verbally forgive ourselves when we get frustrated with something we can’t change in the past, it would give us the strength to find victory and help others.
Instead of thankful journals—which again, I would highly recommend—we should have forgiveness journals. Where we put the names of people that hurt us, people that have hurt our loved ones, and even ourselves. And we may walk this earth breathing properly! No passing out! I encourage you this week to start a forgiveness journal and see how the Lord will bless you. Blessings and Happy Week!