~ ๐๐ก๐ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐๐๐ซ.
If someone were to ask you to make a list of all of the people that hurt you, you can probably write out a long list of those who have caused you pain.
These may be family members, friends, coworkers, even a friend from church. So many friendships have been shattered because of cruel words and actions that have left those who have been hurt feeling betrayed.
You never forget the hurt or the pain someone has caused you. Those feelings run deep. So how does God want us to respond to people who hurt us? Does the Bible instruct us to forgive and forget?
๐๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ง๐ฌ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.
The phrase โforgive and forgetโ is not found in the Bible. However, there are numerous verses commanding us to โforgive one another.โ
Ephesians 4:32 saysโฆ
โBe kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.โ
A Christian who is unwilling to forgive others will find his fellowship with God hindered and can reap bitterness.
In some areas of Christian life we struggle to find out how God wants us to respond, but thatโs not the case here. Godโs instructions are detailed.
Luke 6:27-36 also speaks to this issue.
โBut I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat youโ.
In the following verses, Jesus gives several specific examples of how to treat those who have hurt us, and He concludes with.
Luke 6:36 AMP tells usโฆ
โBe merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.โ
The ultimate standard is set here.
Itโs important that we apply godly wisdom to all relationships weโre in.
There are times when we will allow ourselves to endure unnecessary pain in relationships because we believe itโs our duty or because it brings us to a place of meekness that honors Christ.
While God instructs us to take up our cross and follow Christ, itโs important to discern what God is really telling us through the pain weโre experiencing.
The closer you become with the Scripture, the more God will speak to you about the relationships youโre in.
He may be calling you to realign some relationships.
You may be around people who negatively influence your life.
Painful words and violent tempers can create traps in your life that God may not be calling you to be part of.
When you seek God more about your relationships, you may also begin giving less of yourself to people addicted to gossip and slander because being in that space is not only not uplifting, but also doesnโt reflect Christ.
In these circumstances where you begin to limit the influence of the person thatโs hurting you, it doesnโt mean that you will no longer love, forgive or pray for that person. It just means that you no longer allow them to take up so much space in your life.
We know from Scripture that we are not our own, so regardless of how much we might love someone, including those who have hurt us, we must shift our interaction with them because our Lord tells us to.
And when we know that we are not our own, we also recognize that things will show up in our lives that are completely outside of our control.
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As believers, we can choose whether we will hold grudges or practice grace, but if we are truly following Him, the choice has already been made.
This can be tough, so God provides some balance in His Word with verses likeโฆ
2 Corinthians 12:10 which saysโฆ
โTherefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distressed, with persecutions, with difficulties for Christโs sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.โ
๐๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฌ๐ ๐ฐ๐ก๐จ ๐ก๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ.
Many times we are not in a place to force the other person to stop their hurtful behavior.
We also rarely have the power to change them, but we do have the power to change our response to the person.
God simply tells us to pray for them. If youโre wondering what you should pray about, the answer is simple.
Pray that God will help you to love this person.
Pray that God will help you to see the good things He wants you to do for this person.
Pray that God will bless this person.
Whatโs so great about these prayers is that they focus your attention on God.
Instead of being consumed with the hurt, you focus on God, the One who can heal the hurt, and give you the power to respond in a radically new way.
King David demonstrates this many times in the Psalms he wrote, speaking of the betrayal of friends and enemies โ calling on God to punish them.
2 Samuel 16:5-4 tells usโฆ
โDavid was fleeing for his life because his son Absalom was leading a rebellion, a man named Shimei came out and cursed David and threw stones at him. When one of Davidโs generals asked permission to take off his head, David responded, leave Shimei alone, perhaps God has told him to curse me.
This is a powerful response in such a difficult time. David protects himself from sinning by trusting God and assuming that Godโs plan is beyond his understanding.
We can use David as an example in our own lives. God wants us to trust Him regarding our relationships with others.
๐๐ฌ๐ค ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ข๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ซ๐๐ฅ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐จ๐.
Our best relationships are the ones that have Jesus at the center of them. Itโs very possible that if a person is always hurting you, Jesus is not at the center of your relationship with them and thatโs not healthy for your physical, emotional, mental or spiritual well-being.
If God is not present in the relationship youโre in, it may be time to reevaluate the relationship or at least change the way you interact with each other.
The ideal is to forgive and forget which isnโt always easy to do, but good for our own emotional and spiritual well-being.
1 Corinthians 13:5 AMP describes loveโฆ
โIt is not rude;
it is not self-seeking,
it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered];
it does not take into account a wrong endured.โ
1 Peter 4:8 AMP tells usโฆ
โAbove all, have fervent and unfailing love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins [it overlooks unkindness and unselfishly seeks the best for others].โ
Be mindful of those around you who hurt you, and cling to those who love you and have a desire to uplift you.
(Ref. beliefnet)
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
Most High God, thank You for the forgiveness of our sins.
Lord, I pray that You help us to forgive those who have hurt us.
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your sacrifice.
In Jesus Christโs most powerful name, I pray. Amen 
Have a blessed day 
