Hope After Divorce: Trusting God Through the Pain a 5-Day Plan by Pamela ManningSample

From Forgiveness to Freedom

Forgiveness should be the natural result of overcoming bitterness; however, I discovered that forgiveness is often more difficult than shedding bitterness. Forgiveness must involve an intentional release of ill feelings toward others.

During my divorce, I became extremely frustrated and enraged by various issues. My anger was so intense that forgiveness seemed impossible. I remember asking God the same question over and over again: “How can I forgive when I didn’t do anything wrong?”

God quietly reminded me that we have all hurt others, and I was no different. As little reminders of my own need for forgiveness irritated my thoughts, I found myself responding to God’s call to forgive. My mind exploded with the memory of past sermons on the subject of forgiveness. I recalled fragments of Bible verses such as, “Forgive others, and you will be forgiven. (Luke 6:37) I also vaguely remembered a parable about how Jesus had told Peter that we should forgive someone 70 times 7. (Matthew 18:21-35)

The hard truth is that I knew many Bible verses regarding forgiveness, yet I struggled to obey God’s Word. In my stubbornness, I felt justified in holding onto every wrong; however, somewhere in my pain, I knew that forgiveness was the answer. As my heart yielded to the Holy Spirit’s calling, I desperately asked God an even deeper question: “Lord, how can I do this forgiveness stuff given everything I’ve been through?”

Once again, His giant yet gentle voice spoke that the teachings of Christ were sufficient to guide me. The Lord urged me to meditate on the same verses I had previously glossed over. Meditating on God’s Word caused me to consider how Christ forgave the beatings, betrayals, and false accusations He had experienced.

When I wanted to rise up and point my finger at others, God challenged me to lift my hand to the One who forgave me; only then was I able to understand the depth of forgiveness.

Encouragement:

Jesus’ labor on the cross is the essence of forgiveness. The more I focused on Christ, the more my heart released forgiveness to others. As you consider forgiveness, I encourage you to meditate on the scriptures and pray for the strength to release whoever has hurt you. Freedom will follow, and the Holy Spirit will illuminate the areas that hold your darkest memories.