Love & Forgiveness

The last couple of Sundays, I've gone back to the church I grew up in for services.  Many of the members there are part of my extended family and it's meant a lot to have some of them come up to me and tell me how much I'm loved and how happy they are to see me at the services.  It's helped me realize that letting disagreements take control robs you of time with those who, even when there's a disagreement, love you.

Today, I sat in church and reflected on an infant sent to us over 2000 years ago; a child who as an adult modeled unconditional love and taught us about forgiveness.  When you let anger and hurt feelings take control of your heart, you're letting a form of evil have control in a situation.  In finding the ability to move past hurt and move forward with love, you are doing what Jesus taught us to do.  I was Googling verses on forgiveness today as I reflected on what I wanted to say in this blog.  The verse below seemed to speak to me today:

Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  Colossians 3:13

The ability to forgive and let go of hurt is one of the biggest challenges any person can face.  I hope and pray that during the holiday season, those who are holding grudges and struggling with being able to forgive and let go of hurt find the ability to do so.  Grudges and hurt only lead to suffering and misery for all involved.  This is the time of year to remember that God so loved the world that he gave us his only son.  If he can give us that gift, how can we not share the gift of love and forgiveness with one another.