Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 4:32-5:2 (ESV)

 

Learn to move from forgiveness to freedom.

Forgiveness is the act of letting go of what we believe another person owes us. When we let go, we relinquish that debt and realise we were the ones who were set free. The Apostle Paul encourages us to forgive others as God forgives us. God did not hold our sins against us, and we should not hold others' sins against them. Rather, when we extend forgiveness and reconciliation, we are imitating our heavenly Father. We shall not only become more like Christ in this way, but we will also grow spiritually stronger and healthier.

When we understand the beauty of the gospel and something of God's love, we begin to realise the importance of offering love to those who deserve it the least.

Too often, our preoccupation with the hurt or injustice done distracts us from trusting and resting in Christ. Our anguish and fury can keep God from accomplishing all His plans for our life. We can either continue to react or choose to let it go and embrace a future full of new possibilities with God. Instead of focusing on "what they did to me," we can consider "how can I grow (beyond myself) in this unhappy episode?"

Growth is the greatest gift you can give yourself.

Our wounds can serve the will of God. This is where prayer comes in, for God can transform our deepest pain into deeper healing. If we do not pray, we will exhaust ourselves trying to do what only God can do. Follow Paul’s prescription. Choose to live a life of love. Instead of passing judgement, we chose to pray. Instead of animosity, we choose to forgive. In doing so we set ourselves free.