Detours: Lessons From JosephSample

Pardon and Unforgiveness

Unforgiveness. Bitterness. Resentment. Regret. Languishing over the loss of the past. All of these things, and those other things similar to them, hinder us from reaching our destiny. They keep us trapped on detours for far too long. They weigh heavy on us, causing our shoulders to slump and our smiles to turn downward.

Far too many people are failing to reach their destinations because they are still feeling loaded down by the pain of the past. The weight of yesterday continues to weigh them down today, keeping them from moving freely into tomorrow. 

Nothing, and I mean nothing, will hinder you arriving at your destiny like this thing called unforgiveness. Unforgiveness includes holding on to past pain, past hurts, past grudges—the weightiness of regret, remorse, and revenge. Unforgiveness is that one thing above all else that will block God’s movement in your life taking you from where you are to where you are supposed to go. 

When you hang on to the weight of yesterday, it will hinder the progress to tomorrow. 

Unforgiveness is that critical area that must be addressed if you are going to reach your destiny. 

If anyone had a right to be angry, bitter, and hold a grudge, it was Joseph. But Joseph chose another path. Joseph chose another approach. He chose a different perspective. 

If you and I want to be set free from unforgiveness, Joseph’s perspective on pardon must be our own.