There are four ways to use a dollar. You can spend it, save, invest, or give it away; each have its advantages.
A standard gift for high school graduation is money. Several short days ago I graduated from high school. When I was going through the gifts I received I had an awakening about personal forgivness.
I needed to go to the bank and put the money that I was given for graduation in my savings account. Before I could do that I needed to gather all of the cash. I was opening the cards and collecting the cash. I opened one card and was going to put that money in the bank until I read who it was from. I am bitter towards this person because of their personal choices that have hurt me. Out of stubbornness I decided to keep the money in the card until I figure out how to use it.
My first thought was to simply keep it in the card and try to just forget about it. My second thought was to do something to try to numb the pain that I have because of this person and finance it with this money. And my last idea was to donate it to an organization that helps individuals just like this person.
As I was trying to to figure this out I realized something about forgiveness. If I just let the money sit in the card it would do absolutely nothing. I would be holding on to the past; it would do absolutely nothing to help the relationship but instead tear me down. If I forgave and carefully invested in the relationship, it would make make a tremendous improvement in a relationship that barely exists in the first place. If I just spent the money on something it would just numb the pain snd do nothing to try to heal the broken relationship in the first place. Obviously, the other person was trying if they came to my party and gave me a cash gift. I personally tend to pull away from people quickly because I have been hurt too many times by many types of relationships.
I am praying for this person. I hope that they build a relationship with God before it is too late. I have forgiven them now, but I do not in any way condone their actions. I hurt for the individuals that they have hurt. Holding a grudge was not going to do anything. It was not going to change the past and it won’t really affect the future either.
Mathew 6:15 states
“But if you don’t forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins”
I don’t know if it is for you, but for me that is extremely convicting. If Jesus can and will forgive me for all of my horrible, wretched, abominable sins, why couldn’t I forgive this person until now? Honestly, I am not any more righteous than anyone else out there.
If you have someone that you need to forgive, I am asking you to start praying for them and forgive them before it is too late. Tomorrow is never secure. Don’t let broken relationships just sit in a card going no where — invest in it.
“Forgiveness is as sweet as walking into a candy shop.”
lamaleah.com 