FORGIVENESS

Cobalt is a mineral that is found in various ores. Its compounds are used in a variety of paints and ink, but its most beautiful application is the pigment of cobalt blue for coloring enamel, glass, tile and porcelain. Cobalt is also a necessary element for human life. A trace element of cobalt is found in B12, but too much in our system can be toxic to the lungs and heart. Holding on to unforgiveness is also toxic to the body and may even contaminate our spirit. Any poison in the heart can be just as fatal as allowing too much cobalt inside the body.

Being able to forgive others is a process that takes time. Does forgiving another person mean we are to ignore, hide or bury our pain? Absolutely not. While God does not ask us to stifle or bury our pain, He does ask that we change how we think about those who have harmed us. This is good news for anyone struggling to forgive. We must remind ourselves, for our good, and for the good of others, that forgiveness is not a feeling. Forgiveness is a purposeful decision, an act of the will not dependent on our emotions. No matter what has been done to us, or how badly it hurts, we must forgive because of this inescapable and profound truth: God has forgiven us all the more. When we forgive as we have been forgiven, we give the kind of mercy that can change the hearts of others.

Changing course is hard, and it takes deliberate efforts and repetition to make it happen. We must make a decision to follow the Lord’s example and His command to release our resentments towards those who have wronged us. To do that, we must change how we think. Thoughts have great power to shape our lives. We must never let our thoughts master us. Rather, we are to master our thoughts with the help of God. Ralph Waldo Emerson rightly observed, “A man is what he thinks about all day long.” Maybe he was echoing, “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7) NKJV Some thoughts are constructive and serve as a catalyst for change. Others are destructive and destroy our hope for healing. When someone has wounded us, we tend to replay the event in our minds over and over in slow motion and high definition. We dwell on every detail; we inspect every stone of strife; we scrutinize every act of cruelty. Sometimes we even imagine getting revenge against the other person. Revenge may satisfy our inner longing for justice temporarily but it leaves no room for healing permanently. No wonder we find it difficult to forgive when our wounds remain so fresh in our minds.

Forgiveness brings life, not death. It is the perfect prescription for wellness from the Great Physician Himself. It is an antidote for poisonous thoughts and emotions. Energy spent on anger is energy lost. Forgiveness reclaims our energy and redirects it. Forgiveness is good for our physical health because we refuse to keep a record of the wrongs people have committed against us. Jesus was always willing to forgive-----always. He was beaten, mocked, humiliated and crucified in the cruelest way possible. Yet, while He was dying on the cross He modeled how to forgive His offenders even though His tormentors never asked for forgiveness and never expressed any regret or remorse. He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) KJV