Have you ever had the fretful experience of wallowing in regret? Was it an argument, an unpaid debt or a remark taken the wrong way? Maybe it was a message masked in miscommunication. Was your skin a little too thin that day? Do you remember at all? Do you remember that person? My friend, the weight of death is fi rm, and it is real. There is no round two. No second chances once death takes its place. No opportunity to make it right with that soul, to say, “I’m sorry” or “I love you.” There is no rest in knowing you’ve been heard and understood. I imagine it’s hard to remember. What began as a petty molehill somehow escalated into a mountain of who knows what, simply because neither of you chose to risk vulnerability for peace and love. No one sought forgiveness for the pure and simple sake of forgiving. You failed to reason. They chose to ignore your feelings. She blamed you. He never accepted his part in the problem. You both held on to strife. Whatever it was, it caused hurt and wreckage… enough to rip apart the very thing that was important to both of you. Somehow, now, life so short has ended so easily. There are many things to keep in mind regarding forgiveness. We, God’s children, must carefully identify the enemy’s tactics and recognize when we allow him to do his work. When we become frustrated with ourselves and lash out at loved ones, our relationships can take a beating and end in strife. We must recognize when we give leeway to division and allow seeds of separation to take root. My friend, do not allow the enemy to steal your God-given relationships! Do not let him rent space in your heart where the love of God abides.
The heart, the most vital organ in our human bodies, is at risk when we question forgiveness. The heart is essential to our existence. Naturally, we can’t live without it. Spiritually, we need a heart transplant to live the abundant life God promised. The heart is the center of our beings, and its posture is a matter of utmost importance to God. Its condition must align with God’s Word to successfully move forward in His will. Ignoring the spiritual condition of our hearts does not prevent our natural progression. In fact, we can still move forward, but we choose to do so without the full abundance of natural life God promises us on the earth.
