Have you ever been betrayed? Have you ever been deserted, forsaken, or ignored? How about being loved one minute and then hated the next? If you have ever experienced the pain of the firebrand of emotional devastation, then you are a candidate for the healing hand of the Lord upon your soul. What you may not realize, however, is that YOU must do something first in order for the Spirit of God to reach your heart. You must FIRST forgive the betrayer, the deserter, the hater, or the one who devastated you.
Forgiveness is the act of erasure that returns our heart back to the day before the infliction of the wound. We do not understand exactly what the Lord does in our ‘heart’ (the core of our memories, emotions, and will) but we do know that He has the power to turn back the effects time. He accepts our humble cry for help, in the form of our contrition and forgiveness, and multiplies that back to us in the form of deepening peace and inner change. Now for a question. Do you know the difference between saying, “I’m sorry”, “I apologize”, and “please forgive me”?
To say, “I’m sorry” usually is to say: “I feel bad about what I have done”. To say, “I apologize” is to communicate: “I am asking you to not hold this against me”. But to actually say, “please forgive” is to say, “I am at fault (partially or fully) and I request that we just erase it all as if it never happened.” Requesting forgiveness defeats any attempt of the devil to inflict guilt, sorrow and shame. Giving forgiveness purifies the stream of consciousness so that the Light of God can sparkle upon it’s surface. We need to forgive those who have wronged us even as we request forgiveness for those whom we have deserted, betrayed, ignored, or forsaken. [1]
Once forgiveness is given, whether it is done internally or externally, to the one who did the wrong, one last thing must still requested of the Lord. Request must be made for the healing of the heart for the specific violation. Just recently the Lord prompted me to do just that kind of prayer. I had to say, “Lord, I know that I have forgiven the ones who have hurt me, and I hold no malice, but I need you to heal me of betrayals, of desertions, and of the losses”. I needed healing from the actions (and in-actions) of those whom I have loved but who have knowingly (or unknowingly) deeply wounded me.” The prayer brought tears, but it also brought some cleansing.
I find that forgiveness washes out the dirt in the vase, but I think it still takes God’s loving touch to take away the scoring of our nature. Sin scratched us but God restores US. When we forgive it opens us up to God’s touch. When He touches us, we get a sense of how much we are forgiven as well. The person who is forgiven much, loveth much [2] and receives healing for the broken heart as well. [3]
[1] Matt. 6:12 [2] Luke 7:47 [3] Luke 4:18
Original Copyright: © Anthony J. Massotti Th.M., Th.M. 1/31/1999