Have you ever had an experience where you have been hurt or offended? I assume that if you have lived on this earth for more than five years, you've probably come across these feelings at least once (maybe sooner if you have siblings 😋).
This week I have been challenged to abundantly give my love, forgiveness, approval & gratitude to anyone that I have felt slighted by. Challenge is definitely the word! Let me explain what each of these things mean to me.
Love - because God first loved me... in my yuck (technical word meaning sin)... I will choose to love those that have wounded me. I pray for God's eyes of love for them- to see them as He does
Forgiveness - I relinquish the right to call them to the carpet. I allow God to take over & for Him to dole out consequences as He sees fit.
Approval - this is not approval of the actions, but an acknowledgement that they are entitled to God's grace & mercy as equally as I am, & that God longs to restore them just as He longs for me to be fully restored.
Gratitude - again, I do not have to be grateful for the action that caused my hurt, but I can choose to be grateful for the opportunity that it has given me to grow, develop in character, & lavish grace & mercy upon another soul, just as God has lavished His grace & mercy on my life.
This has not been an easy lesson for me, as I am a human that is so used to the hierarchy of sins that we tend to have.
"I know I'm sinful, Lord, but did You SEE what THEY did?!!"
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