A Fight Worth Having

 Hi Friends,
  I want to talk to you about something I've been mulling over lately, and something that should be an on-going work in progress for each and every one of us.  Often times as I get to know people, and I begin to share some of my life story with them, things like the loss of my child, my being kicked out of the church, my husband moving out the day our child was born, my son's emotional and behavioral problems, etc, I get asked the question, "How are you still so happy?"  I usually jokingly reply that it's a mixture of Jesus and tequila (which is, for the most part, true.)  But there is one other very important component:  forgiveness and an unwillingness to allow bitterness to rule in my life.
  You see, for most of us, it is natural to want to hold onto the hurts that life or other people throw at us.  We ask "Why?" And we claim things aren't fair.  We want to wallow in self-pity and get others to rally around us and our side of the story.  But I learned a long time ago that this is a very self-destructive way to live.  Holding on to hurts and keeping them in our hearts day after day until they become a stubborn root of bitterness will only destroy us.
  The only way to truly be free is to forgive, whether that person deserves it or not, whether they ask for forgiveness or not.  You see, forgiveness is not based on a person's worthiness.  Forgiveness is based on our identity.  I am aware that I, as a person, have made mistakes, have hurt other people, and have done things which make me less than perfect.  I also believe that I have been saved by the Grace of a perfect God who loved me enough to forgive me, even though I didn't deserve it.  This knowledge is what empowers me to forgive others.  How can I, knowing that I have been forgiven, not extend that same forgiveness to others around me?  After all, it's not about how worthy I was to be forgiven.  It's about how gracious He was.  In the same way, it's not about how worthy the person who hurt me was but about how gracious I can be.  And it is this graciousness that has set me free to live in peace.
  Because I choose to love and forgive, I can smile in the face of those who have hurt me, and I can go on living my life, knowing that their negativity does not need to hold me down.  Because I choose to love and forgive, I can rebuild relationships and forge bonds which were previously broken.
  Is this an easy task?  No.  I can promise you that I have to wrestle on a regular basis with anger, disappointment, and bitterness.  But I have made the choice that I will not allow these emotions to rule my life or dictate my behavior.
   Forgiveness is worth fighting for.  Your emotional freedom is a priceless thing.  I encourage you today, if you are holding on to past hurts, against others, against God, against yourself, that you make the decision to let them go.  You may not feel forgiving and loving at that moment, but day by day, as you choose to extend love and grace, you will see yourself change.  You will see the bondage of anger and bitterness fall off your life, and you will live with a new kind of freedom.  We don't have to hold on to hurts and keep score.  We can live freely in the knowledge of who we are.  I am forgiven, therefore, I forgive.  Step into a new level of emotional freedom today.  I can't wait to see you succeed!

~K.W.