The Forgiveness Challenge
Taking The Forgiveness Challenge
Are you up for a challenge?
How about a forgiveness challenge?
I can promise you it may not be easy, depending on your circumstances.
Here goes.
Think of someone right now who purposely makes your life difficult.
Did they make you mad?
Did they make you cry?
Perhaps the continuing conflict was started by:
- A family member
- A coworker
- Someone you used to be friends with
It could be anybody who seems bound and determined to get your goat.
Mr. or Mrs. Irritating can turn your smile into a frown real quick.
How can we forgive a person like that?
Why Forgive Them?
Forgive “them”, and move on with your life.
Fellow Christian writer, Marianne Custer, offers a godly perspective with her piece, “I Challenge you.”
I Challenge You
Recently I began pondering how to enrich my Christian walk. I grabbed my Bible and found three challenges. In his first epistle the Apostle Peter urges us twice to ‘love deeply’. Deeply here means very intense, extreme, immeasurable. I have no trouble loving my children and grandchildren deeply. But that annoying neighbor, the church gossip, or the homeless person I may meet is another story. Jesus said this is how all men would know we are His disciples, if we have love for one another. Yes, I want to cultivate a deep love for others.
Second I want to work on forgiving unreservedly. I have lived long enough to be hurt. A careless word, questioned motives, or worse, something negative said about my child or grandchild. But refusing to forgive doesn’t make the hurt better. Recently, I saw a quote that said, ‘The most influential person in your life is the one you haven’t forgiven.’ That’s reason enough to just ‘let it go’!
And third, I challenge myself to savor God’s Word daily. Savor means to enjoy to the fullest. When I read God’s Word I am allowing Him to talk to me. Yet I so often neglect that privilege. Psalm 119:105 (NIV) declares, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Just as I need light to guide my physical feet, I need light on my spiritual path. An added benefit is as I immerse myself in God’s Word, loving others and forgiving them becomes easier.
Father, please help me to love deeply, forgive unreservedly, and savor Your Word daily.
NIV 1 Peter 1:22, 1 Peter 4:8, John 13:35, Matthew 6:15
A Valuable Takeaway From the Forgiveness Challenge
My favorite line in Marlene’s piece is the quote that she shared, one packed with meaning that should stay with all of us.
“The most influential person in your life is the one you haven’t forgiven.”
Let it go!
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1Poetry shared, courtesy of Marlene Custer, from FaithWriters url: https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=185177.
