Mid Week Heart Check: Forgiveness

Matthew 5:44 (KJV) But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.

We all have been hurt by someone in life because people are simply imperfect. For me, holding a grudge was my way of getting back at the person that hurt me. Little did I know was that the other person had already moved on and the only one that I was hurting was me. Holding on to unforgiveness was like putting myself in my own prison. I had put up walls around my heart so that I could not be hurt again. Forgiveness is a decision that I eventually made to release that person from guilt and also to free myself. After making the decision, it was hard to get rid of the negative emotions that were there. It wasn’t until I was led to this scripture that I began to experience true forgiveness. This passage is encouraging us to pray and bless those that have hurt us. As we pray for and bless them, we are releasing our faith for God to heal our hearts. It helps to honestly identify the person or people that we hold unforgiveness, bitterness, and resentment toward. I did this and took a moment every day to bless and pray for them just like I would myself. It was something as simple as God bless their family, health, and relationships. Initially, I did not want to speak good things over them and it did not feel genuine. However, I kept at it because I wanted to move on and I believe in the power of the Word. The more I prayed and blessed, the more I experienced a change of heart and it eventually became genuine. I did this until I came to a day that I no longer had any negative feelings or thoughts towards them. If their name was called, they entered a room, or they came across my mind, I no longer cringed on the inside. This is when I knew I had genuinely forgiven them. Through applying this scripture to my life, I learned that praying and blessing is the key to open the door to forgiveness that leads to freedom. Will you take the time today and honestly assess your heart for unforgiveness? If you need to forgive someone or some people, do yourself a favor and forgive!