“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
— Matthew 6:14-15 (NIV)
This sounds like God has decided not to forgive you if you don’t forgive but that is not what this verse is saying. First off, Jesus is our example and he always forgave. However, another principle is involved here.
We know that when we plant an apple seed, we are going to get apples. There is no way we will get an orange from an apple seed. We can hope, pray, wish and labor in our mind but if the seed is an apple seed, we will get an apple. No amount of wishing will change it.
It is the same with forgiveness. When we don’t forgive, we are planting seeds of unforgiveness and that is what we will get. No amount of hoping for or praying for will change the results. The difficulty here is that we think, “my situation is different. You don’t know what happened to me and the person that did this deserves to pay.” That may be true, but the result is still the same. We reap what we sow. The seed we plant produces its kind. And we continue to feel sad and rejected because we won’t let the grudge go.
The more we give in to our flesh and rehash what happened in our mind as well as talk about it to others, the more the seed of unforgiveness is planted. That bad seed also affects our health. It has been proven that unforgiveness causes high blood pressure and increases muscle tension.
I can tell you from experience that as hard as it is to go against wrong feelings, the result is freedom and peace. Even if you feel like you are screaming inside, make a decision to send away unforgiveness, self pity, anger and hurt. put off and cast down. Then choose to bless the person and do that as often as you need to. When you let go, your body will feel relief and you become healthier.
Believe me when I tell you that peace and joy will come. You will be set free from those strong wrong feelings coming from your flesh. Putting into practice, not just knowing something in your head, brings good results.
Is there someone or maybe several people you need to forgive? Now is the time. Maybe you are thinking about someone that hurt you, but you are also thinking, “I forgave them already”. The true test is how you feel when you think about them now. If those feelings of wrongness come and the old emotions overtake you, then you need to go through the process of sending away again. But if the remembrance comes up and you are able to say, “it happened, but I’ve let it go and I truly bless _______, then you are FREE!
God tells us what to do, but the choice is ours. We are never forced to do it. He always has our good in mind. He knows what works and what doesn’t. Trust Him! Believe Him! Let Him set you free by choosing His way.
“The Sea of Forgetfulness is a no fishing zone”
Forgiveness Is Not A Feeling