Lunch For Three - Day 7

Nooma 007|Luggage
"Maybe a friend turned their back on you. Maybe someone you loved betrayed you. We all have wounds and we end up carrying around these things that people have done to us for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. It isn't always easy to forgive these people and after a while these hurts can get really heavy. So the only way to feel better seems to be somehow getting back at the people that hurt us, to get revenge. But does revenge ever truly satisfy? Maybe forgiving isn't something you do for someone else to let them off the hook. Maybe forgiveness is about you. God didn't create you to carry these wounds around. God created you to be free. " NOOMAtube

What kind of wounds are you carrying around with you everyday? What sorts of things from your past continue to haunt you? We all carry wounds. We've all been betrayed. We all have things that have happened in our past that just eat away at our insides. I have people in my past that have hurt me so badly that it's impossible for me to look at them the way I once did. The thought of revenge is all that I can think of. And just when I think that I have fully suppressed these feelings, something happens that reminds me of this pain. A sound, a picture, or a memory is all it takes and the pain has found its way back to the surface again. We all have this type of baggage that we are carrying around with us everyday. We all seek revenge. But what is revenge really? If we get revenge will we feel better about ourselves?

Think about revenge at the spiritual level. Rob brings up the point that, at the spiritual level, revenge is basically a slap in the face to God. It's us saying, "God, I don't trust you to handle this situation. If I get revenge, than I can control the situation. I think I can do your job better than you can" (Rob Bell). We need to leave the judgment up to God, it's not our place to judge. This simple truth is spelled out for us again and again throughout the Bible.

• Do not insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it." Romans 12:19
• Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37

Forgiveness is not easy. To really forgive someone you truly have to wish them well. If you are unable to wish them well, you are really just sitting back and waiting for them to be judged by God. When you forgive someone, you set them free, but you are really setting yourself free. Carrying that baggage around forever is not a pleasant way to live, but when you practice true forgiveness, the weight is lifted. "God didn't create us to carry this stuff around. He created us to be free from bitterness, free from anger and revenge, free from feeling like you're the judge of the world" (Rob Bell).

Think of someone who has hurt you. It may be some petty little disagreement, or it may be something far more serious. Pray that the Lord may give you the strength to forgive this person. Reach out to them and forgive.

May you forgive as you have been forgiven, may you give to others what has been given to you, may you set someone free and find out that it was actually you who was set free. And may you do it today, because you might not have a chance to do it tomorrow - Rob Bell

Please, if you are interested I encourage you to participate and share your thoughts. I would love to get some feedback and hear what each of you took from the day's topic. Just click the comment button at the end of each blog and let me know what you think!