Mark 11:25 - "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”It's hard to forgive, isn't it?
At a recent chapel I shared some of the dificulties of my childhood, but I entered into dangerous territory. As I was preparing for the message, I started remembering...
...remembering too much...
...too many details...
...too many feelings of hurt...
...and I started getting angry. All over again. Of things that occured over twenty five years ago.
Sometimes I don't want to forgive. I want to keep the anger and depression inside.
Then I look to Mark 11:25 and see the need to forgive. Forgive is the Greek word aphiemi and I find a powerful definition. Included in the explanation is that the word "forgive" means to "to let go", which is what I desperately needed to do. It has happened, it has happened. Nothing I can do now will change what has occured int he past, so why bring it up again. Then I see the definition includes "give up a debt". How many times have I heard a bitter person say, "Someone OWES me for my pain. The one who forgives will give up that "debt" of restitution.
Finally I see that the definition of "forgive" means "to leave in order to go to another place". It brings to mind a friend of mine who is in his fifties, but will not forgive nor forget. His life revolves around his childhood hurts but he will not release the grasp, just like the child who will not let go of the candy so that his hand can relax and he can be freed from the jar. Listen, I want to be able to move on. I want to go to another place, a place of peace that only God can explain (Phillp 4:7).
Forgiveness can make that happen.
