Forgiveness…

When I was a kid and my older brother and I would get into arguments like all siblings do. My mom would force us to look at each other and quote Ephesians 4:29-32… I now know it like the back of my hand 😉 so I’ll quote it for you:

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification… that it may give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God for whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and anger and wrath and clamour and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind one to another… tender-hearted, forgiving one another – just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

A theme for 2010 in my life was forgiveness… I have a feeling it isn’t just for 2010 either. A wise woman shared with me her story about learning forgiveness – and used the analogy of it being like an iceberg. As you learn to truly forgive… you find that there are layers and layers… in other words – forgiveness is a process. Giving myself the grace to work through this process has been extremely freeing… I don’t have to get down on myself for my own humanity – which will always fall short of where my heart truly is. The Lord looks at my heart and knows that even though I long to be like Him… I am a work in progress… and he will continue to perfect me until the coming of Christ – just like He promises!

As I’m on this journey of learning to forgive, I’ll be sharing what I’m learning as a series here on No Longer Ashes… powerful stuff people!! I’m excited to go back and revisit what the Lord has been teaching me this past year… and to share it with you.