The Power of Forgiveness : Unlocking the Key to Freedom for the Forgiver and the Forgivee

Forgiveness isn’t always easy, is it?

 

Sometimes the hurt runs deep. Sometimes the words spoken or the actions taken leave wounds that don’t heal overnight. And if we’re honest, there are moments when holding on to that hurt feels almost justified.

 

But here’s the truth we gently learn, often the hard way:

forgiveness is not about saying what happened was okay, it’s about setting your heart free.

 

When we choose to forgive, we’re not excusing the offense. We’re releasing its hold on us. We’re choosing not to let yesterday’s pain dictate today’s peace.

 

Unforgiveness is heavy. It lingers in our thoughts, weighs on our spirit, and quietly builds walls around our hearts. But forgiveness, real, intentional forgiveness, is like unlocking a door we didn’t realize we were standing behind.

 

And the beautiful part?

 

That freedom doesn’t just touch us, it reaches the one we forgive, too.

 

Forgiveness opens the door for healing on both sides. It creates space for

 grace, for restoration, and for God to move in ways we could never orchestrate on our own.

 

Now, that doesn’t mean everything is instantly repaired. It doesn’t mean trust is automatically restored. But it does mean the chains are broken.

 

It means you can breathe again.

 

It means your heart is no longer carrying something God never intended for you to hold onto.

 

If there’s someone you’ve been struggling to forgive, take that first step today. You don’t have to feel it fully yet. Just choose it. Place it in God’s hands and trust Him with the outcome.

 

Because forgiveness isn’t weakness, it’s freedom.

 

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:32 (NLT)

 

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for the gift of forgiveness. You have forgiven me more than I could ever deserve, and yet I struggle at times to extend that same grace to others. Help me to release every hurt, every offense, and every burden into Your hands.

 

Give me the strength to forgive, even when it’s hard. Heal the places in my heart that still ache, and replace bitterness with peace. Teach me to trust You with what I cannot fix.

 

I lift up those who have hurt me, and I ask that You work in their lives as only You can. Bring restoration where it is possible, and peace where it is needed.

 

Thank You for the freedom that forgiveness brings.

In Jesus’ name, Amen.

How Big is Your Jesus?

We'd just arrived at our hotel and were at the desk checking in when something on the counter caught my eye. A tiny figurine sat in between 2 welcome to our hotel signs. As the front desk employee went through the check in routine, I couldn't keep my eyes off the little rubber figure. When she'd finished with the formalities of registering us, I picked up the little guy and held it up for her to see. "Who put this here?" I asked. She replied, "I have no idea. I imagine a guest left it or someone found it and put it there." Smiling, I asked if she knew who it was. She didn't answer. That's when I said, "Can I have Him?" She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "Sure." So I took the tiny Jesus figure and gently placed Him in my purse. 

When I got to the room, I took out the rubber Jesus and washed Him in the sink. I wanted to make sure no nasty germs were stuck to Him. Then, I dried Him and looked Him over. This little guy was apparently some kind of toy but I didn't care. Though he was smaller than an inch, He represented a lot to me!

The Bible says no one has ever seen God that means no one really knows what He looks like. Oh we can imagine - He was probably a little darker skinned than we are with dark brown hair and eyes. More than likely had had a beard or some facial hair and since He was a Jew, He may have had the longer side burns called payot. We also know He wasn't handsome or notable, because the Bible tells us “For He grew up before Him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should desire Him. (Isaiah 53:2) To me, that says Jesus was the average looking Joe. And isn't it remarkable that God would send His Son to Earth looking just like one of us instead of with all sorts of glory surrounding Him? I think God did it that way to make Jesus more relatable. 

The tiny figure of Jesus I'd picked up in the lobby was cute. Anyone who didn't know this was a mini representation of  Christ, would probably guess because of all the paintings that depicted Him in this fashion. The garment was non de-script. The blue sash may have referred to His Jewishness, who knows, or it could have implied royalty. 

The more I looked at the rubber figure, the more I kept hearing in my head - "How big is your Jesus?" I knew God was asking me not about stature but about ability. Though I know God is Omnipotent, sometimes I tend to limit Him by placing my expectations of His abilities in a box. I'll pray for something important to my heart and before I give Him a chance to answer, I've already assumed the outcome. That's not the way I should react but in my humanness, I often do. 

Jesus isn't a tiny little guy I can pull out of my purse when I want and ask for something miraculous. He's not my personal Genie. He is Holy - a vital part of the Triune Godhead. 

Little Jesus is going to stay in my purse. I want to keep Him there as a visual reminder that God is always with me. I also want to keep this little guy to remind me God is so much bigger than I could ever imagine. 

I'm thankful someone left the little Jesus on the counter for me to find. I looked up on Amazon and found out I can get a whole box of 100 tiny Jesus figures for about $35. Maybe I'll order some in the future and put them in random places so others can have an epiphany, too. 

It always amazes me how God uses some of the most random things to speak to my heart, but He knows me so well. He knows I'm a visual learner and thinker. Seeing little Jesus pricked my heart to think about more than just a rubber toy. It caused me to really hone in on the love that sent Jesus here in the first place. God already had a plan of redemption ready before Adam sinned. He knew, after giving the gift of free will, there would be a very regrettable choice that would need fixing. Jesus was and still is the answer. 

My Jesus is much bigger than the little guy in my purse. I'm so thankful I know Him personally as my Lord and Savior! I hope you do, too. 

 

The Power to Forgive

I'm a writer. I write all the time. I was probably born with a pen in hand. My mother used to get so mad at me because I was constantly writing. Every slip of paper in our house was fair game for me. I'd write on scraps, napkins, even toilet paper! As far as I know, I never wrote on anything other than paper but I could be mistaken. There were always so many thoughts running through my head I just had to record them. Usually I'd write with a pencil but every now and then, I'd write with a pen. The only problem was, when you write in pen, it's not easy to erase. As I grew older, I gave up the pen and pencil opting for the ease and speed of a typewriter. Whiteout became my best friend until I learned to type quickly and efficiently. My first typewriter was a manual Royal, a heavy machine, from the 1950s. I loved that typewriter and still have it to this day. When computers came along, I was in heaven. Not only could I record thoughts quickly, I could store them easily on disks or hard drives for posterity's sake. But, there was one key on the keyboard that gave me absolute power - the delete key. In an instant, I could wipe out everything. I loved depressing the delete key and seeing the words permanently gone. I could start over with a clean slate and if I didn't like the words I'd written, I could delete them and start over again. Thinking about the delete key, I wished we had one for life. A few weeks ago, one of my family members hurt me. In a volatile situation, words had been shouted and the wounds cut deep. I stood in shock as I listened to venom spew from that person's mouth. It was evil and ugly. I cried myself to sleep that night wondering where the poison had come from and why it had poured forth so easily, but deep down, I knew. When we walk in the flesh, things can get nasty in a hurry. My heart had been hurt. I loved this person. And I knew, Satan wanted me to allow a root of bitterness to grow up in my heart. He wanted me to be angry and for our relationship to be strained and broken. But God wanted restoration. I wished we could delete the incident and start over. That's when God reminded me of the delete key. He spoke to my heart and said forgiveness is like the delete key on a computer. When we choose to forgive, it's like giving a promise - the promise that we'll never bring up the offense commited against us again. Forgiveness gives us the power to delete the mental record of the pain of our hurt. We eliminate it. It's as if the sin never occured. And isn't that exactly what God does for us? When we ask Jesus to forgive us, when we repent of our sin, He doesn't say, "Oh, no... you owe me." No. His arms open wide and He says, "Yes, beloved! I forgive you." And not only does He forgive us, the Bible says He forgives us as far as the East is from the West. And He remembers our sin no more. Now if God can do that, why can't we? Forgiveness is a gift we give ourselves. Why hold onto an offense that will constantly remind us of an unhealed wound? The power to forgive is a gift from the Father. I hope you use it and use it often.