Having
reached the age of fifty has me thinking of a number of things differently than
I have in times past. I am marking milestones in life with much more importance
than before, at least within my heart. I am beginning to realize with a greater
clarity that I am not going to be passing by this way again. Thus, it is best
to be making the most of these moments and relationships while one has them.
It is in this spirit that I want to share
this bit of encouragement with you. It is actually a direct reflection of what
the Apostle Paul clearly states in his letter to the Ephesians toward the end
of his epistle. He writes,
"…forgiving each other, just as God in
Christ also has forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32, New American Standard Version).
In
spending so much time over the years with folks who have suffered damage to
their hearts caused by blocked arteries,
I know what restricted blood flow can do to someone’s life, overall well-being, and future prospects. A
person so afflicted can find himself with a very limited existence because his
choice of food intake over the years ended up caking the “pipes” that brought
life-giving nutrients to his heart. Now, he cannot fully enjoy life or the
blessings of his family. I have personally seen family members and friends in such
situations.
The same sad occurrence takes place
even more frequently in the lives of many believers today. Many of you who are
presently reading this edition of the newsletter are suffering from this malady
even now. Yours, however, is not a physical condition, but a spiritual one.
Yours is not a clogging of the arteries of your physical heart, but of your
spiritual heart with the plaque of unforgiveness. You are holding on to
offenses from time gone by. You have nursed these offenses like babies, so that
now they have grown through childhood to adolescence unto adulthood, choking
your heart, making it very hard for you to spiritually breathe. You try to have
a relationship with God, but He continually seems to be distant from you. You
endeavor to worship Him, but your worship has no depth to it. Your words of
praise ring hollow; they bounce off the ceiling and ring accusingly in your own
ears.
What is one to do in such a
situation? If your physical heart were being choked to death by plaque buildup,
you would have by-pass surgery to provide new life to your heart. The same
holds true for the spiritual heart. However, in this case, it takes a different
type of surgery. Truth, honest truth, is the scalpel used. The Holy Spirit of
God is the surgeon. You need to submit yourself completely to His surgical
table for the operation. Let Him show you the areas of your life which you need
to release to forgiveness and vulnerability. Once this ugly truth is revealed,
you may need to then go to that person and ask their forgiveness for holding
unforgiveness toward them for so long. Remove then the barrier of protection
against them in your heart so that you may love them unconditionally. This is
how you will know that your forgiveness is real. True forgiveness is not
forgetting, but choosing to love the person unconditionally and allowing
yourself to be open and vulnerable to be hurt again, even as Christ has
forgiven us and has suffered pain over and over again by our failures toward
Him (Eph. 4:32).
His is the standard of measurement we must use in terms of
forgiveness one toward another. It is on this basis that our relationships are
built, brother and sister in Christ, siblings, parent-child, husband-wife, etc.
When we are able to forgive completely those who have hurt us in the past and
cleanse our hearts of all past bitterness, then we can fulfill His desire for
us to have hearts of kindness and tenderness one toward another as stated in
the first part of Eph. 4:32. Then will the heart’s blood flow freely without
any blockages and our spiritual lives will be renewed and powerful according to
His desired will for His people.
Are you harboring ill will, unfulfilled expectations and
bitterness toward anyone today? Is your spiritual life lacking? Is God distant
from you no matter how hard you try to please Him by your actions? Search your
heart with honesty to see if there is unforgiveness resting and rooted within
you. If you find it, remove it no matter the pain. You will find the Holy
Spirit ready and willing to assist you to the place of comfort, peace and love,
wanting you to experience the blessed joy of true forgiveness.
