Part of the message at church this morning was about forgiveness. About how forgiving is the ultimate Christ like act we can do as Christians. “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13)
If you have read some of my previous entries you know that I have a long way to go…but I am getting there. I have held a tremendous amount of bitterness inside of me throughout my lifetime due to circumstances that I have been through that may or may not have been within my control. I have not only dealt with a slew of bad relationships which I explained in my last post, but I have dealt with issues that took away my innocence at a very young age. I have also been cheated on, lied to, stolen from by people who supposedly loved me. These are things which I had no control over. I have been through a lot in my life as have most of you. But I am very very strong. I have overcome and I feel like I can handle just about anything that comes my way. I have let go of so much anger, resentment, hatred, bitterness and I feel my spirit has been lifted as a result. My faith in GOD is stronger now than ever. I have started going back to church within the last year after being away for many many years and it is the BEST thing I could have ever done. It gives me direction and keeps me focused on what is important. I am learning not to sweat the small stuff as much as I did in the past. I am learning that by letting go and forgiving those who have wronged me…I am not only forgiving them but I am freeing myself. It is truly an amazing thing!
My inspiration for the name of my website www.iamalive41.com came from a Mercy Me song called “The Hurt and the Healer”. The lyric from that song…”I’m alive even though a part of me has died” is what gets me through. I think through hurt and healing we are changed but we are still alive. And when we make it through it, we are closer to God than we could have ever imagined. EVERYONE makes mistakes. NOBODY is perfect. As long as we are dealing with other people, we are going to need to learn how to forgive. I am forgiving myself too for mistakes I have made. That is where true healing begins.
I have attached a picture from earlier today from my visit with my Dad at the nursing home 🙂 (Again, this picture is upside down when I view on my computer but correct when I view on my phone! I apologize.)
Have a blessed Sunday! xo