If you have ever felt the venomous burning of betrayal within your blood, you know the pain with which it runs through your veins. It poisons your thoughts and attitudes toward the betrayer. It can even permanently destroy the once warm thoughts about that person.
A counselor once told me that when betrayed we need to find a way to forgive the betrayer. As a pastor, the advice seemed simplistic and out of reach. He reminded me of Jesus' teaching that we should forgive "70 times 7" times. Really? He challenged me to use his "Forgiveness Onion" which made people work through forgiveness by praying, "Father, I forgive __________ and ask you to bless _________ by ________" for 490 days.
For 1 year and 125 days (with the help of my smartphone), I asked God to forgive and bless my offender. The act became so ingrained in my mind that I found that I continued well past day 490 and even repeat the prayer occasionally today long after the onion has been peeled.
While it might sound crazy, I am now grateful for the offense that caused me to use the "Forgiveness Onion." Gratitude can be found after forgiveness is discovered. God gave me grace to see His hand in the midst of the pain. He taught me His way. "Love . . . does not take into account a wrong suffered." (1 Cor. 13:4-5).
No comments:
Post a Comment