It’s Valentine’s Day and infographics are in.
I set out to do a beautiful infographic about love and forgiveness based on 1 Corinthians 13.
My infographic isn’t at all what I’ve been preparing to create over that past few days, but His thoughts aren’t my thoughts and His ways are higher.
Here I am thinking this infographic is probably not going viral because it is not a very pretty picture and it’s based on Luke 6:27-28 instead of the beautiful love chapter.
Nonetheless, that Still Small Voice reminds me that it only needs to reach one person for Him. I hope it is you.
“But I say unto you which hear,
Luke 6:27-28 KJV
Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you.
Bless them that curse you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you.”
But Forgiveness is Hard
Yesterday, a friend of mine was having a hard time forgiving the person who did something terrible.
She knows she is supposed to forgive.
Right now she doesn’t feel like she can, but she’s working on it, and that counts for her.
Forgiveness as an Act of Your Will
Forgiveness is an act of your will in obedience to God.
Feelings can be ugly, and you can be in the process of feeling forgiving. Once you obey and forgive as an act of your will, it is done.
Feeling the healing of forgiveness, I think, can take some time depending on how badly you were hurt.
You might have to forgive again every time you think about it. You know, 70 x 7 and all that.
I love Luke 6:27-28. Bless those who curse you is real for me. I had to bless some enemies a while back. I prayed for the ability to bless them, because I really, really didn’t want to. I decided to obey and bless them.
It Helps to Laugh
I’m not saying I got this part directly from God, but what helped me was to bless my husband 100 times as much whenever I blessed them. Looking back, it was pretty funny when I multiplied the blessings to my DH, and it made me laugh. After a while I did feel compassion and forgiveness for them. I know because when one of them got their “comeuppance”—finally reaped what had been sown—I truly felt sorry for them and wished it hadn’t happened that way. I was released from my unforgiveness. You can be free of yours, too.
Love never fails. Forgiveness Works!
Love covers a multitude of transgressions. It’s all about love, my friend.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Blessings,
Harriet