As we close out this first month of the year, the rubber finally meets the road. We have prayed, we have fasted, and we have taken inventory. But true spirituality is proven in how we treat people—especially the annoying ones.
We have made our lists of people we have harmed, and now we must be willing to make amends. But we must also practice “self-support” by generating our own kindness, rather than waiting for others to be kind to us first.
Forgiveness is the ultimate test. It isn’t a feeling; it is a choice. It is a decision to treat someone not as they deserve, but as God treated you. God forgave you when you were messy, rebellious, and undeserving. He asks us to pass that same grace along to others. We don’t forgive to set the other person free; we forgive to set ourselves free from the bitterness that poisons our own cup.
|
