Forgiveness?

"Forgiveness, like love, is a choice not an emotion." From everything I've read in scripture, every verse on love, every reference to trespasses and hurts, this statement is true. Love is a choice, and so is forgiveness. You can choose to forgive, choose to love past hurts and fear and pain and heartbreak. But what about those of us in the trenches of Christian life, just trying to be like Jesus day by day, shine the light and glorify the Savior? What about the ones who have been broken and despite crying out for healing, now have open, festering wounds that ache with bitterness? What about them? What about us? Having been wounded, having been hurt and having experienced all the anger, pain, bitterness, rage, blame, shame, fear, and various other unpleasant and ungodly emotions, this is a huge struggle for me right now. Because time and time again, I have bent my will into submission to the Savior's example, his command, and said "I CHOOSE to forgive you." I have even felt forgiveness, a time or two, and thought, "finally, finally, I'm free" and would revel in that freedom for a few days, even a couple weeks. Then "the pain came back again, like a bitter friend" and I wasn't able to keep myself from blaming. I experience again the deep betrayal and pain, and find myself bitter and separated from God again. I cry out, and hear nothing. Ask, beg, plead for strength, power to forgive and let go, and find none. I'm tired of this cycle, and can't find the solution. I've thought, "maybe if I just tell him I forgive him, it'll make it so," but it seems so dishonest. My will can't override my emotions, and heaven is silent. So I will ask, seek, knock, and maybe eventually, an answer will come from the throne.

Hurt and Healing Part 2

We have established certain truths. God is good. He is love. He is unchanging. He is omniscient and omnipotent. Those things in mind, let's dive deeper into this vital issue of hurt and healing in the life of a Christian.

To clarify, these principles will only fully apply to someone who has truly given Christ Lordship of their life and who has the Holy Spirit indwelling them. If that does not describe you, then please, please message me and I would be happy to have a discussion with you about what the Bible says about personal salvation.

So what does Scripture say about suffering as a believer? Are we promised lives of health, wealth, and happiness? Are we supposed to suffer in silence or is it appropriate to question God's purposes? Does being "content" mean just taking whatever is handed to us without complaint? Does God care about our feelings or just our reactions? What is the purpose of suffering, pain, hurt, brokenness, trials, etc.?

These are all questions I have struggled with, stewed over, contemplated this past month. So what are the Biblical answers? It is my desire to find answers in Scripture, not from others. I am tired of people's opinions, since the only One who matters is Christ. So everything that I offer I hope will be backed by Scripture.

So do believers suffer? According to what I see throughout Scripture, there can be no question about whether we're supposed to suffer. We are supposed to "share in [Christ's] sufferings" (Romans 8:17), "have trouble" (John 16:33), and "delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties" (2 Corinthians 12:10). We are also supposed to not be "surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed" (1 Peter 4:12-13). We are obviously supposed to share in the sufferings of Christ.

For John, this meant being boiled alive in oil, then sent to solitary life on the Isle of Patmos, where God revealed the book of Revelation to him. For Peter, this meant being arrested repeatedly, imprisoned and released supernaturally, and finally crucified upside down by Rome. For Paul, it meant living with a "thorn in the flesh" (2 Corinthians 12:7-10), being arrested multiple times, shipwrecked and snakebit, imprisoned for an extended period of time in a "house arrest" situation, and ultimately beheaded in Rome at the order of Nero. Obviously, trials and pain were an everyday part of the early believer's life. Separation from family and friends at the very least. Economic ruin, social outcast, or even loss of life were just as common. During the reign of Emperor Nero, the "Followers of the Way" were blamed for the burning of Rome, and were crucified, burned alive, and fed to lions daily. Early believers called themselves "Followers of the Way" and were only called Christians in the New Testament by their enemies, except in 1 Peter. They were set apart to follow literally in the footsteps of Christ (the Way, Truth, and Life) including death.

Ok, so suffering is par for the course for believers. "I can accept that," you say, "but how am I supposed to react to it? Am I allowed to question God?" Please stay tuned for Part 3 - The reaction to the inevitable suffering.