Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
The Healing Power of Forgiveness
This verse from Paul’s writings relating to the former life in relation to Christ living in us gives us the stark comparison of dark (evil) and light (Christ) in the manner of one’s conduct. Think about living every day under the influence of the emotions and actions expressed in the first sentence of this verse. For a Christian, the thought of living this way should pierce the heart much like the physical feeling when receiving a diagnosis of a severe disease. And if we make a comparison in a physical sense, living with hate and anger is a disease that eats away at the soul much like cancer takes over the physical body. Rarely do we sit idly by and make no attempt to rid the body of the cancer. Why would we sit idly by and not address an illness of the soul?
Forgiveness is the beginning of healing for the soul, mind and body as well. While we may never forget the situation that stirred the feelings from the dark, we can move past it into the light so that our focus and thoughts are not revolving around such event, but are put away so that we are able to live freely in the peace God wants for us. If holding on to those dark feelings are driving your actions and emotions, turn them over to God and focus on forgiveness. After all, how many times has God shown forgiveness?
- Written by our Lighthouse Mentors