Encouragement & Inspiration For Teen Girls

Forgiveness -- It's Just Not Fair!

(The song above is "Forgiveness" by Matthew West!)

What are some words you would use to describe your personality? Is it loving? Is it caring? Is it...forgiving?

Forgiveness is a word that not many people like to hear.  It's a word that's...just not fair. When you choose to forgive someone, you gotta have a lot of courage. Because when you choose to forgive them, even if they've hurt you in the past, you're saying that you're gonna let go of your anger towards them. You're gonna throw your grudge in the garbage. When you forgive, you've gotta let it go.

Let it goo!! Let it goo-o!!! Can't hold it back anymore....!

Sorry, I had to. XD

Anyway...

Forgiveness is a pretty hard thing to do. I mean, when they hurt us, they're messing with our hearts. And you may wanna stay angry with them forever. But here's what the bible says about it...

Colossians 3:13 (ERV)

 Don't be angry with each other but forgive each other. When you feel someone has wronged you, forgive them. Forgive others because the Lord forgave you.

So even if they've hurt you, forgive them. Because Christ forgave us.

Now you may be thinking, okay, I can forgive that person over there pretty easily but...that other person is gonna way harder.

Do we have to forgive every time?

Yes! Christ forgives us every time we mess up. Every time we neglect to obey him. Every time we forget to come to him in prayer. Every time we're "too busy" for him. Every time we sin. Every time.

His mercy and grace and forgiveness is new every morning.

You might be thinking...What if they don't say sorry?? Do I still have to forgive them??

Yes!

We don't always say sorry to Jesus. But guess what? He forgives us anyway!

Another question that may be floating through your brain is...Okay, so how many times do I have to forgive someone?

Well, let's check the bible for that....*flips through pages* Ah, here we go!

Matthew 18:21-22

Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?"

Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times but up to seventy times seven"

Woah. Let's calculate that...*finds calculator*

That equals up to...490 times!!!

So yes, we are supposed to keep forgiving. Because Jesus keeps forgiving us.

And if you keep forgiving you will be greatly blessed. The Lord sees your good deeds. And your good heart. He sees you when you obey Him.

And when you are willing to forgive, when you are willing to have a loving attitude, people will see as someone who is worthy of friendship. No one wants to be friends with someone who won't be willing to forgive them when they mess up.

When you forgive, instead of holding a grudge, you come across as a much more beautiful person on the inside.

So keep on forgiving. Keep on Loving. And keep on remembering...God's love is unconditional. He'll forgive you every time.