Daily Power #35

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. (Col. 3:13)

How do we love like Jesus? Especially when we consider deep hurts and major wounds to our heart, it can be tough to forgive. Maybe someone exploited you, abused you, betrayed you, lied to you, cheated you. Maybe someone hurt the people you love the most, leaving them injured for life.

Most of us carry such wounds around inside us: the church that excluded you, the boss who took credit for your work, the sibling who turned against you, the parent who let you down. This person may even be dead now, but still there’s a dark, angry hunger gnawing inside you. You may even wonder how God could forgive someone who could do what they did to you.

But as we know, Jesus told us to pray for those people who hurt us—and more specifically, to forgive them. As hard as it may be, we can do it through the power of Christ. Why? Two reasons: first, Jesus knew what he was asking of us because he himself suffered the worst, most unfair, cruel abuse possible; and second, because even after suffering through all of that, he chose to die to wash away our sins and forgive us.

Today consider the grudge you’ve been carrying around against that certain person and begin the practice—and it will take daily practice for a while—of letting it go.

Power Lift

Lord, you know how hard it is for me to forgive certain people who have hurt me. Help me to love them by choosing to forgive them as you have forgiven me.