Forgiving Others And Living In Peace

Forgiving others is hard. But carrying around a grudge is a heavy burden that will wear you down. Here’s how to start forgiving others and live in the blessing of peace.

FORGIVING OTHERS- SPRING BLOOMING BRANCH

Forgiving others! It’s been hard for me to know how to start today’s post. There is so much to say. And talking about forgiveness is not an easy thing to talk about. But, as hard as it may be, God is very clear about forgiveness. So let’s dive in.

Here I am sitting in front of my computer, praying and asking God to show me where He wants me to go with this post. I’ve been staring at a few words I’ve written for a while now and I’m stuck.

One thing I do know is that I’m supposed to be writing about forgiveness today.

What God Says About Forgiveness

I’ve been studying the book of Mark and two verses jumped out at me yesterday.

AND WHENEVER YOU STAND PRAYING, FORGIVE, IF YOU HAVE ANYTHING AGAINST ANYONE; SO THAT YOUR FATHER ALSO WHO IS IN HEAVEN MAY FORGIVE YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS.

BUT IF YOU DO NOT FORGIVE, NEITHER WILL YOUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN FORGIVE YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS. Mark 11:25-26

Forgiveness for most people is not an easy thing. Actually, it is impossible without the leading and power, and grace of the Holy Spirit.

God has a lot to say about forgiveness! The Bible is full of verses on forgiveness.

We all struggle with forgiveness. I know I do.

But if God says to do something then we must do it. Looking and acting like my Father is important to me! And I hope it is important to you too!

I think we are wired to hold on to hurt. It’s just part of our human nature. And human nature is a very broken thing!

Hugging A Grudge

Why do we love to hug a grudge so much?

A grudge is heavy.

It taxes our life and weighs us down! And it changes the way we look at the world. It is dark and ugly! And it makes us dark and ugly. But just the same we hug the stuffing out of it!

We tend to look after a hurt. And dwell upon it over and over and over! We baby it and nurture it until it grows up and becomes a grudge. And we love to hug a grudge. Tightly! And the tighter we hug a grudge the bigger it grows!

A grudge’s job is to plant seeds of bitterness! It sows them right into our very hearts (our minds, will, emotions, and intellect).

It’s like a drug! Demanding and bad for us! It takes control of us! And eventually, we become its slave!

When A Hugged Grude Becomes Bitter

And when an offense becomes a grudge and we hug a grudge until it becomes bitter, because it always will, it takes a heart that should be soft and attentive to God and makes places in it as hard as a rock!

So when we hug a grudge our hearts have little room for God. Our grudge becomes our idol! Yes, an idol!

There is nothing good that can come from unforgiveness!

Not only does unforgiveness hurt you but it hurts the person you won’t forgive. Unforgiveness is a toehold that often becomes a stronghold of the enemy!

God, our Father, and Creator knows how we are wired and He is in the business of forgiveness! He understands the hurt and pain caused by others.

And he also understands what is best for you and me!

God On Forgiveness

BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER, FORGIVING EACH OTHER, JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST FORGAVE YOU. Ephesians 4:32

God forgave us! So we forgive others. We should strive to be like our Father and forgiveness is a huge part of who He is!

HE HAS NOT DEALT WITH US ACCORDING TO OUR SINS,

NOR REWARDED US ACCORDING TO OUR INIQUITIES.

FOR AS HIGH AS THE HEAVENS ARE ABOVE THE EARTH,

SO GREAT IS HIS LOVINGKINDNESS TOWARDS THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

AS FAR AS THE EAST IS FROM THE WEST,

SO FAR HAS HE REMOVED OUR TRANSGRESSIONS FROM US.

JUST AS A FATHER HAS COMPASSION ON HIS CHILDREN,

SO THE LORD HAS COMPASSION ON THOSE WHO FEAR HIM.

FOR HE HIMSELF KNOWS OUR FRAME;

HE IS MINDFUL THAT WE ARE BUT DUST. Psalm 103: 10-14

God in His goodness and grace forgives us. I love the idea of God taking my sin and forgiving them so completely that they are “as far as the east is from the west”.

And He knows us. God knows how frail we are, “he is mindful that we are but dust”. So He understands!

YOU, LORD, ARE FORGIVING AND GOOD, ABOUNDING IN LOVE TO ALL WHO CALL ON YOU. Psalm 85:51

Forgiveness helps you! And it keeps the channels of communication open wide between you and your Father!

God knows your hurt. Let Him deal with it!

Forgive And Pray

Be quick to ask forgiveness when you are wrong. Make amends and go above and beyond to seek forgiveness!

Forgiveness is not forgoing justice. Forgiveness is not claiming vengeance.

DEARLY BELOVED, NEVER TAKE YOUR OWN REVENGE, BELOVED BUT LEAVE ROOM FOR THE WRATH OF GOD Romans 12:19


Forgive, my friend! Do not hug a grudge or plant seeds in your heart and mind that will cause you much hurt and harm!

Talk to your Father and pray!

What Jesus Says

Here’s what Jesus said…

YOU HAVE HEARD IT SAID, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR, AND HATE YOUR ENEMY.

BUT I SAY TO YOU, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES, AND PRAY FOR THOSE WHO PERSECUTE YOU IN ORDER THAT YOU MAY BE SONS OF YOUR FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN; FOR HE CAUSES HIS SUN TO RISE ON THE EVIL AND THE GOOD, AND SENDS RAIN ON THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE UNRIGHTEOUS.

We forgive because our Father forgave us and paid for our sins with the blood of His precious Son!

It is far easier to live in the light of God’s forgiveness than to live our lives carrying around the heavy burden of bitterness.

We Decide

The choice is ours. God is calling us to forgive! And to live a life of love and grace and peace!

IF POSSIBLE, AS FAR AS IT DEPENDS ON YOU, BE AT PEACE WITH ALL MEN. Romans 12:18

Be quick about the business of forgiveness! Shake off any grudge! Then you can find the beauty of living in peace!

Memorize Scripture With Me

Here’s what I’m memorizing this week…

BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER, FORGIVING EACH OTHER, JUST AS GOD IN CHRIST FORGAVE YOU. Ephesians 4:32

Click The Video For More Inspiration

You might also like…

THE BEAUTIFUL COVER-UP! HOW TO COVER OTHER’S FOIBLES

HIDING GOD’S WORD IN OUR HEART

WHAT WE SAY SAYS A LOT ABOUT US

FORGIVING OTHERS- PIN

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19 Comments

  1. Thank you, this is exactly what I needed today

  2. Thank you for your Sunday morning inspiration. I think we all need to be reminded about forgiveness from time to time.

    1. You are so welcome, Marilynn! God’s forgiveness makes us love Him all the more!

  3. Very good reminder of how we need to forgive and lean on our Father.

  4. Very important to forgive, my baby brother just passed away suddenly and he hadn’t spoken to my husband and I for 12 years, nor my oldest sister. We not only feel the loss of him, we feel the void of no communication all those years. Funny thing is, he was upset with my late father over a business deal and took that anger out on us. I am praying for the repose of his soul and healing from all the misdirected anger. Good post Yvonne!

  5. I always struggle with this message of forgiveness. I believe there are behaviors that are unforgivable by us mere mortals. God can forgive the child abuser; I will not not. The men who abused me, my children, and grandchildren have destroyed lives and relationships for generations. I don’t dwell on this but I won’t forgive either.
    I love your Sunday morning messages.

  6. Penny Jo, I am so sorry for what you must have endured.
    Yvonne, your words are so true. I have learned to let go of a little of things people have done to me and I feel so much more grateful for everything and everyone in my life. Have a wonderful week.

  7. Thanks for this reminder about forgiveness, we all need to live with this kindness to ourselves. Many years ago, I deeply hurt someone and have never been able to forgive myself for this injury. I find it is easier to forgive others than it is to forgive myself. This person is now deceased so I have never been able to ask for his forgiveness. So I have carried this for too many years and need to lay this burden down so I can live freely again. How can I forgive myself?

    1. Kay, my heart ached for you when you said “I have carried this burden for too long…” I’ve been in your shoes. I was a Christian when I deeply hurt someone, but they forgave me. I confessed my sin to God, repented and asked for forgiveness. Like you, I couldn’t forgive myself. I felt unworthy to go to church or to even pray. I kept hearing it mentioned how much God loves us, and He wants us to love him. This got me started thinking. I do love God and trust him completely, so I let go of my guilt. It’s a wonderful feeling. Now that I’m no longer focused on what a terrible person I am, I try to focus on others. I’m not good at expressing myself, but I care about you and will pray for you.

      1. Sharon, thank you for being so open and sensitive to what Kay and the rest of us need to hear. We all do things that make us feel so unworthy of God’s love and blessing. But God! Oh, I love those two words in the bible! But God loves us with an everlasting love and has Himself, for the love of us, forgiven us completely!!!! We need to believe God and His Word. Because of God’s complete forgiveness I love Him more and worship Him deeply! Sharon, I know your comment has helped all who read it. God bless you!

    2. Kay, God LOVES you! You need to believe Him and let go of this pain. Confess your sin. It seems you have repented for years. God knows your heart and your sorrow and grief. He has forgiven you. Now you need to rest in His eternal arms. God wants you to live a life free of sin’s pain and guilt. Jesus took all of that to the cross. Instead, use that energy to love God back, serve Him and worship Him for His forgiveness. Many of us have done things that have pained God greatly. But God wants us to ask Him for forgiveness and abide in His love. God bless you, Kay! I am praying for you.

  8. MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!) says:

    Yvonne, you did a wonderful job with writing this post on forgiveness. I thank you for this. I like that verse in Ephesians 4:32. If we could just forgive like Jesus did, this world would be a much better place. Like you said, forgiveness is hard but it is something we must do if we want to live in peace with ourselves and others. God Bless You, Yvonne, for another wonderful Sunday post. You are such a blessing to all of us!

  9. Your Sunday inspirations are always welcome and helpful. I struggle with the concept that we must “fear” God. My God is a loving father and I don’t fear God. I know you were quoting the bible but it still disturbs me because that is not where my heart is. Thanks again – I value your words of inspiration.

  10. I read this message last night for the first time. Although I try very hard to not dislike or hold a grudge against anyone, I still read this one and learned from it. I love the LORD and I am thankful to our JESUS CHRIST for being our SAVIOR. I know others may not feel the same about me so I must pray for them too. Thank you for sharing your beautiful talents and GODLY ways with so many….they are certainly a blessing to me every time??????

  11. Sherri Snook says:

    Thank you for reminders about the importance of forgiveness. I think I will read this several times to let it all sink in. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom.