Healing for Veterans and Their FamiliesSample

Forgive Others As God Forgives You 

If you’re hurting because of someone or something in your past, your recovery is often dependent on forgiveness. Yes, you should ask God to forgive you, but you have to forgive those who hurt you, too. 

If you’ve been injured in combat or lost a buddy, remember that Jesus tells us to love and forgive our enemies.

Anyone who sinned against you isn’t hurt when you don’t forgive them. Instead, unforgiveness holds you captive and destroys your life. They don’t deserve your forgiveness just like you didn’t deserve God’s forgiveness. Getting free is a choice to obey God’s Word. 

From the cross at Calvary, Jesus cried, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Just as God forgives you for committing a sin, you must forgive the person who hurt you. You are not forgiving what they did to you; you are forgiving their wrong choice. You take that sin, place it on the cross, and leave it there. 

What if they come back and hurt you again? Some believe Christians are weak because they don’t fight back. But it takes a strong person to follow Jesus’s instructions and example. 

Your prayer and your forgiveness do not release the person who has wronged you from answering to God for their actions. God says, “Vengeance is Mine” (Romans 12:19). He will deal with that person for what they did to you. There is little that you can do to get back at anyone. God, on the other hand, knows them well and can reach them where they can’t hide or run away. 

Forgiveness is part of God’s nature. He forgives you numerous times a day. Christians must learn to walk in forgiveness all along their journey. Part of your recovery is to learn this important and difficult lesson. Make sure you have confessed all sin to the Father and forgive others so you can be forgiven.

There is no sin so horrible that God cannot forgive you. He knows all of your actions, words, and thoughts from your first breath of life to your last. If He can forgive the men who killed His only Son, He can forgive you. Don’t ever say you can’t forgive yourself. You do not have that power. Forgiveness comes from God, not you. Accept His forgiveness and be healed.