What a word.

God forgives us as we ask Him to.  Our sins were forgiven when Jesus died on the cross.
In His dying breath  we are told Jesus prayed:  “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. (New Living Translation (©2007)

But here on earth it is so much harder to do. We are asked to be Christ like.  That is not always easy.   We cannot always shrug and say ” Oh well, forgive and forget”  when we have been wronged.

since my Baptism a few weeks ago…I have walked this new path.  In my “unforgiven” life I have forgiven some very serious wrongs that have been thrown at me. But today I face one of the toughest.  Letting go of the hurt and pain and betrayals of my ex-wife.  I am close to doing this.  The first support for me here  was the lyrics of Don Henly’s pop song Heart of the Matter.

Ah…these times are so uncertain
There’s a yearning undefined
And people filled with rage
We all need a little tenderness
How can love survive in such a graceless age?
Ah…the trust and self-assurance that lead to happiness
They’re the very things – we kill I guess…

if you Google forgiveness  you may find a 13 step program  of how to forgive, or five strategies of forgiveness. The program, the strategies the steps, they may offer lots of ideas or approaches. but ultimately, it comes down to letting go.

Don’t we want happiness? Don’t we want freedom? Self-assurance?  God’s love?  But but but… we need to protect ourselves!    Forgiving is not forgetting.  Perhaps the part that can be toughest  in forgiving is wishing the offending person well. That is when you know you have truly let go of it all.

Hurt, anger,  retaliation,  vindictiveness, wanting revenge, fear and protectiveness from future assaults..  all are baggage. Some of it big and heavy. Some of it silent and deadly. Deadly to that happiness Henley sings about. Deadly to the peace Jesus wants us to have.

I want to share a video I came across.  it is called Luggage.  Watch it to the end.

It is motivating me. I hope it helps you.

Another artist, Matthew West has a song entitled Forgiveness

It’s the hardest thing to give away
And the last thing on your mind today
It always goes to those that don’t deserve

It’s the opposite of how you feel
When the pain they caused is just to real
It takes everything you have just to say the word…

Forgiveness
Forgiveness

It flies in the face of all your pride
It moves away the mad inside
It’s always anger’s own worst enemy
Even when the jury and the judge
Say you gotta right to hold a grudge
It’s the whisper in your ear saying ‘Set It Free’

Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Forgiveness, Forgiveness

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible

Forgiveness, Forgiveness

Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness

It’ll clear the bitterness away
It can even set a prisoner free
There is no end to what it’s power can do
So, let it go and be amazed
By what you see through eyes of grace
The prisoner that it really frees is you

Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Forgiveness, Forgiveness

Show me how to love the unlovable
Show me how to reach the unreachable
Help me now to do the impossible
Forgiveness

I want to finally set it free
So show me how to see what Your mercy sees
Help me now to give what You gave to me
Forgiveness, Forgiveness