Friday 25 August - The Truth About Forgiving What You Can't Forget Right Now

Introduction

Reading: Genesis 45:1-15. If you've spent any time around people, then some of them will have hurt you. The only way you can avoid getting hurt is to live the life of a hermit. Even then you'd probably hurt yourself!

Many of us hold on to these hurts. Soon those hurts can turn into bitterness and resentment. Suddenly, you can find no way of forgiving what you can't forget. It can wreck your whole life.

Joseph of Egypt Could Have Become Bitter and Resentful

It would have been no surprise if this had happened to Joseph of Egypt. His brothers had beaten him up, sold him to some passing slave traders, and then covered up their crime by telling his father that he had been killed by wild animals. It would have been natural if this had left Joseph feeling hatred towards his brothers. I am sure he never forgot what they had done to him.

Joseph's Example of Forgiving What You Can't Forget

But in a marvellous example of forgiving what you can't forget, when ten years or so later, Joseph comes face-to-face with his brothers, he chooses to forgive them. His forgiveness kept his bitterness and resentment at bay.

God Can Help You Forgive and Forget

You may have been hurt badly. You may have a hard time forgiving what you can't forget. You may think it's impossible. Maybe it is, in your own strength. But just as God gave Joseph the power to forgive his brothers, he can give you that same power to let go of your bitterness and resentment.

Ask God to help you replace your desire for revenge with his love, and soon you'll be forgiving what you can't forget. As you do so, you will find God's love sets you free from your deep hurts.

Think It Over

When have you experienced the freedom that comes from forgiving what you can't forget?