Forgiveness comes from God. Mercy comes from God. Love comes from God. Revenge doesn’t. Holding onto anger doesn’t. A desire to punish others, to give them what you think they deserve never comes from God. These things are contrary to the gospel by their very nature. God is Love and Mercy, and He calls us to be loving and merciful.
Jesus knows our weaknesses and our wounds. He knows all the things that have shaped us over the course of our lives making us the person we are today. And He knows the healing we still need.
Jesus knows all the hurts, rejections, indifference and punishment we've received at the hands of others. He also knows theirs. Hurting people hurt people. And you may be hurting people too. You may especially be hurting yourself. Jesus knows what weighs your heart down, and He can set you free. Forgiveness opens the door to freedom.
It's easier to look at what others do than to look at what you do. It's easier to criticize what others say than to evaluate what you say. Maybe you have hurt others deeply but for some reason you don't think that matters as much as how they have hurt you. These things leave people in pain and unforgiveness. This may be just fine with you. But it's not fine with God. “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36).
Unforgiveness tears down, destroys, damages and breaks. Christ builds up, repairs, restores and heals. The two cannot co-exist. They are opposites. Unforgiveness is the opposite of Jesus. Let's not forget the amount of forgiveness Christ extends to us, and how much we need to be forgiven by God. Jesus forgives us, so we are not justified in being unforgiving. We are in need of God's Mercy. And others are too.
We are not responsible for the actions of others but we are responsible for our own. We are responsible for living in anger and unforgiveness for so long, and we are responsible for living in it for another minute. We are responsible for not trying to make things better. Let's pray for the grace to let go of the pride which holds us back from forgiving. On our own strength we can’t forgive, but with God all things are possible and He can give us the grace and desire to forgive.
Let's ask God to show us areas of our lives that need healing. Let's clean out our hearts today, giving Jesus all of our intentions and so called "justifications" for remaining angry. Let Him have them. We trust Jesus with everything right? Trust Him with this. Allow His Light to shine on this darkness, and finally give you peace.