Day 23: Mark 11; 24-28, Ephesians 4:31,32

Mark 11; 24 – 26: 24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your father who is in heaven will also forgive your transgressions. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will your father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.

Ephesians 4; 31-32: 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

Forgive

There are times in life when others cause us harm and we then hold on to the anger and resentment refusing to forgive. By withholding forgiveness we are only hurting ourselves.

As a child my father abused me in the most egregious manner and as a result of his abuse my mother despised me, my reward was bitter and violent. For more years than I care to admit I harbored not only fear but hate, refusing to forgive them, and only blaming myself. In those dark days I did not thrive in life, much less in my spiritual growth. It took many years and a great deal of therapy to understand that I did not deserve, nor did I ask for the abuse. It took many more years to learn to forgive; only after forgiving did I truly begin to live.

Dear Lord: Thank You for giving us the peace we deserve when we forgive those that trespass against us.

Contributed by Gretchen