We’re getting some incredible sunsets this week. This is what it looks like tilted, so you don’t see the stuff on the ground or the overhang from the eave.
A little weird, right? Still pretty, but off.
Last night I felt led to pray about unforgiveness, and the wounds in our souls that lead to it. Unforgiveness forces us to look at life tilted, trying to avoid that thing hanging over us, and the things in front of us that we don’t want to address.
They’re still there. We just don’t want to acknowledge them: bitterness, anger, shame, resentment, regret, hatred. So we tilt sideways, skewing our world to fit our avoidance, dizzy with our forced perspective, missing so many good things in our effort to avoid dealing with the bad ones.
We can face them, though, and go upright again.
The enemy wants you to think it’s too much work to heal. He tells you that the person who hurt you isn’t worth forgiving — even if that person you need to forgive is yourself. He knows that if he can keep you from forgiving, he can keep you in bondage to a host of other miseries.
The Lord has better plans for you, though.
Here’s an easy start that takes less than three seconds: Tell the Lord where it hurts. Just tell Him the first feeling or memory that comes to you, right off the top.
Ask Him to heal it. Do it right now.
Then, another three seconds: Declare your forgiveness over the person who caused the wound. And, hey — You don’t have to FEEL forgiveness. You just need to declare it. This isn’t for them, it’s for you. Do this for your own good. Do it out of obedience and love for the One who died for you and always forgives you. Do it because you know He understands more than you do, and because He is working out good things that you can’t see yet.
Forgive because He calls you to be free.
And then, another three seconds: Ask Him to remove the hard feelings. Invite His peace.
Watch the world start to shift upright again. Repeat as necessary. Remind yourself that you’ve chosen forgiveness and healing. This peace is for you. 🧡
