March 28

FORGIVE

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

All of us have been hurt at one time or another and the offender ay well have been someone we love. We often try to put the

pain behind us and move on, yet most often we just can't seem to shake off that annoying feeling. So why do we find it so difficult to forgive?

One reason we struggle with unforgiveness is the simple matter of pride. When people offend us we take it so personal that it affects our pride. In our offended pride, the offence grows much greater than we should allow. It becomes an issue of personal attack rather than an honest mistake or flash of insensitivity on the part of the offender.

Another factor in our unforgiveness is bitterness. We become bitter when we refuse to deal honestly with our hurt feelings and then allow the matter to fester in our heart. The growing sense of irritation spreads through our spirit like an infection. It has been rightly said that bitterness is like a poison that you prepare for someone else and then drink yourself. While it silently destroys our life, the person who hurt us may remain completely unaware of our dark feelings.

If you have been hurt recently, pray for the strength and honesty to approach the offender and say, "You did this and it hurt me. But I love you and refuse to allow this to destroy our relationship." As you do this, the Holy Spirit will minister healing to your hurt emotion and fill you with peace.

Prayer: Bind and cast out the spirit of unforgiveness from your heart, and ask grace for those who have hurt you one way or the other.

Scriptural Reading: Ephesians 4:25-32