Day 47

Today I am thankful for forgiveness. I have been working my way through an incredible and challenging book called "The Resolution for Women." It's one of those books that you read a chapter and have to stop because there is so much to absorb and reflect on. This week's resolution has been on forgiveness and it couldn't have come at a more appropriate time.

Hebrews 12:15 "See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many." <--Isn't this exactly what unforgiveness is capable of? It slowly builds in our hearts while we attempt to cover it up, but it burrows into our relationships through our thoughts (internal) and our actions (external). It's not easy to forgive and in reality it's impossible outside of a relationship with God. But it does require action on our part. It requires us to make a decision to move forward without incorporating all of the junk from our past. After that initial choice, forgiveness involves daily decisions to release the person and situation to God. Easier said then done, am I right? I mean I love knowing what is going to happen. I enjoy calendars, to do lists and check offs because they are reliable and consistent. But that's not how life works. That's where Christ comes in!

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:23-26 NIV)

This paragraph hit me right in the heart: "You've tried to forgive. You've thought you were there. But then here it comes again-another betrayal, another broken promise, another blow to your fragile trust-and as a result, deeper hurt. Closed loops. Tighter circles."

And then: "Truly a wounded heart cannot open up to fully love or receive love. And one who harbors her wounds as some kind of protection against further wounds only tightens the hard places in her heart that keep her locked in circles, never escaping what's happened, stuck in her predictable ruts and reactions." Ouch!

But the good news is that we have a loving Father who already has granted us forgiveness by nailing it to the cross. How wondrous is such love! We need only to pray. Pray for resources, encouragement and strength so that we can exude the same love to others.

2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Thank you, Abba.