Colossians 3:12-14 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.(ESV)
There is so much to unpack in this section. Forgiveness can be really hard. It can be for a truly deep hurt that changes who you are. It could be for a long list of smaller hurts that form a callus on your heart towards someone.
Here’s the big question though. Who is impacted by holding on to the hurts of the past? Does being angry with someone actually do anything to them? No. We are the only ones impacted immediately when we hold on to things we should let go. By holding on, we almost invariably end up lashing out at others. Hurt people hurt people.
No, forgiveness really is for us. It is the only way to heal from traumas of the past. Forgiveness doesn’t mean we have to let them do it again. It doesn’t mean that we approve of what happened. It simply means that we no longer want to carry that emotional baggage.
Put the bags down.
Walking With Christ 
Leave a comment