Can You Cut It?

Forgiveness. Interesting concept. It's healing. Both for those giving it and those receiving it.

I don't know how many times or how many people I have talked with about this topic. I always encourage people to give up the anger, the hurt, to release it to God and start healing themselves through the blessing of forgiveness. Most people can mentally work through the need to forgive others both for biblical reasons and to start the healing for both themselves and the offender. Some people are able to work through all of that and enjoy the blessing of forgiveness--many cannot. Not surprising.

What is surprising, however, is that while those of us who have worked through such concepts and actions we still are unable to do something else just as crucial. Many of us cannot release ourselves of wrongdoing. We ask for forgiveness from those we've hurt. We ask God for forgiveness. However, we decide to carry our offenses around with us. Dragging them around with us like ropes around our necks with boulders attached to them. What in the world?!?!? We may not speak of them publicly. We may only visit them in the comfort (or discomfort) of our own minds. But we do it. We remind ourselves of just how miserably we have failed or how deeply we've hurt another. We remind ourselves often. We probably do so even more than we consciously realize. We've all failed. We've all fallen short. Some of us have done things so horrible we can't hardly bear to recall the details in our mind, but yet we refuse to remove the rope from around our necks. Why? Why would we do this if we have God's forgiveness? Why do we not release ourselves as easily as God does? I am also speaking to myself when I say this. I am one of the world's worst when it comes to these things. How arrogant do we have to be to basically say "Hey, I just cannot forgive myself for what I've done. It's too hard. What I did was too hurtful, caused too much pain and harm. I simply don't deserve to be forgiven,"? Why do we think our standard of forgiveness is higher than that of God's? Shouldn't be. In fact, that sounds a little insulting to God if you ask me.

I hold myself up to impossible standards sometimes. I cannot possibly live up to such lofty expectations. So when I fail, when I fall short, it is devastating. I am a self-punisher. I beat myself up better than any punishment and better than any possible consequence ever could. Why? If God is able to see my soulful sorrow and forgive me, why can't I? Christ's blood really WAS sufficient. Who am I to hold myself down? This isn't wise. This isn't healthy. This isn't what God wants for our lives. We do ourselves significant damage when we hold ourselves down and refuse to soar as God so deeply wants us to.

I am suggesting that we allow ourselves the opportunity to mourn and grieve when we fail and fall short. Some of us have things that in our pasts that we have a difficult time trying to move forward from. I do. But those things only keep us from our full potential as followers of Christ. How can I live my best life, be the best example, and bless others to the extent to which God designed if I am dragging my past behind me. I cannot. We cannot soar with our past tied to our necks. They are too heavy. Jesus' blood washed me cleaned and God expects me to soar! I would be wrong to deny both of those things by clinging to a past that I feel too guilty to let go of. I should feel guilty for NOT letting it go, right?

I feel certain there are things that each of us have done at some point in our lives, earlier today or years ago, that we haven't moved on from. Give God the respect of moving forward and soaring above your sin and shame. Learn from your past, learn from every mistake you make, then cut the ropes and soar. You can soar higher and higher as each rope is cut. You can help and bless others from your knowledge and lessons learned. Use forgiveness and your past experiences to help others, THAT'S how your old demons can be put to work in your Christian walk. Dragging your sins behind you does NOTHING but keep you down and hold your potential hostage. Cut the ropes! Soar!!!