The past is a school, not your prisonSO often, I see or hear about bitter chapters of peoples lives and the hurts they nurse even several years after the hurt took place. Every time the story is told, you can feel the anger and the freshness of the nursed memories that just refuse to go away. Even I was well into my adult years before I forgave my father and some of my serial stepmothers for the anguish of an unloved childhood and the pains of being a victim of conflicts I did not cause and could not help. It was as if being the first male child came with the price-tag of persecution. How I survived those growing years remains a miracle! What is the story of your own hurt A betrayal by an associate you had grown to trust so deeply A business deal that left you broke and frustrated while your partner smiled to the bank A father who refused to send you to school even when he could afford it A spouse who cheated and is rubbing it in A promotion you missed because someone hated youThe closer the source of the offence is, the deeper it hurts and the more difficult it is to forgive. Judas was not a distant disciple. He was one of Jesus closest twelve; in fact, the group Accountant! It is easier to walk away when offended by a stranger or someone you have no close relationship with. But the story changes when the offender is very close to your skin. One of Gods favourite strategies for developing character in you is to use people closest to you to train you. At such times, its not about what is happening around you. Its about what is happening WITHIN you.If you were David and your mentor turns out to be your tormentor, how would you react Wouldnt you have picked up the spear and thrown it back after Sauls second attempt If you were David, would you have spared Saul when you saw him in a most vulnerable state where killing him would have been very easy and would have rid you of your tormentor forever However, the more Saul persecuted David, the more evident it became who really deserved to be king.Cutting off your nose because you resent your face does nothing to enhance the value of the face.When you camp around a negative experience long enough, you arrest further movement into your future and foreclose the possibilities of a better tomorrow. Think about the many great things that stopped happening in your life because you are hurt. Simply because someone took advantage of your cheerful disposition, you have lost the smile that used to light up the atmosphere and made you the soul of every gathering. Yet in the mind of God, your destiny may be tied to your capacity to sustain that smile regardless of provocation! For the simple reason that your giving in time past did not seem to have been reciprocated, you have lost the capacity for generosity and with it, a guarantee of the flow of Gods benevolence into your life.Be honest. What really caused the high blood pressure you are nursing now Toxic unreleased hurts In that case, no anti-hypertensive drug can heal it. The cure is IN you. When you truly let go and let God, you will see your blood pressure return to normal, often without medication!When people hurt you or betray your trust, its really not about them. Its ALL ABOUT YOU! Have you ever prayed for the fruit of the Spirit, especially the capacity to love Gods answer to that prayer is to send some unlovable people into your life who will hurt you and literally throw your affection back at your face. I have an adopted son who came into my family at age nine. When he first came, he could test the patience of Job. Foul-tempered and highly self-opinionated, he was any parents nightmare.Several times, I was tempted to simply send him back to his village. But through the hurts and the offences, I chose the path of love. Sometimes tough, but sincere. Fourteen years on, he is a quintessential gentleman that any parent would be proud of. The way he has turned out gladdens my heart. A prize-winning sportsman, he is proof to me that only those who can endure the thorns qualify to enjoy the rose.What you call offence or even betrayal is actually Gods way of propelling you to the next level. How else would you have learnt to pray like you now do if there was no one to hurt you Without Judas to betray Him, how else would Jesus have gone to the cross If He never went to the cross, how else would He have become the Saviour of all Everyone calls Judas a betrayer but Jesus calls him FRIEND. What did He know that we dont but need to ... continuedRemember, the sky is not your limit,God is!
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