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It's been my biggest battle...to forgive those that came up against me. I have fought and wrestle the beast of bitterness to the ground more times than I can count. It is so worth the fight! Forgiveness unchains us from the hurt that locks us down. It is a form of freedom to the victim who has been caught in a web of pain. If you are struggling to forgive, oh how I know your pain! Keep fighting and working through it. It is a journey and takes time. In the meantime, here are some great articles about forgiveness. It is my prayer that they will help you on your journey...
Forgiveness is an ongoing process. Many times you have to make the decision to forgive all over again as the hurt comes to mind. Sometimes grace requires seventy times seven.
Forgiveness is hard for anyone either to give or accept for ourselves. We actually need to learn how to go about the process. Here are two great posts to help kids learn to forgive...
Prayer and forgiveness
Helping kids to pray so they can forgive another.
This article is from a dear friend who writes for Crosswalk...Three ways to bless those who hurt you. In it, she explains that in order to forgive we have to be intentional and work towards getting rid of the bitterness.
One of the best ways to work through forgiveness is to start praying for those that have hurt you. It can be extremely difficult, but in the end it is the path to freedom from the deep hurt. God know that praying for others help us to create "heartstrings" with them. He also knows that heartstrings make the heart sting less. Here are verses you can use to pray over those that have hurt you.
One of the biggest barriers to people forgiving is the idea that in order to forgive you have to reconcile and go back to the way the relationship was, but forgiveness and reconciliation are NOT the same. Here is a post that talks about the differences.
Here are a few stories on forgiveness:
Forgiveness in a marriage {Great book recommendation at the end.}
Forgiveness in action in an Amish community
Just Let Go-This is on my list of movies to see. The true story of a man who lost his family because of a drunk driver. Here is the book...Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness.
Forgiveness is hard, but bitterness eats your soul from the inside
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