THE MAIN THEME: WHO DO I GO WITH? 

TITLE: FORGIVENESS PROCESS

 The bible verse for today’s devotional is: Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Devotional:

The second semester was particularly difficult for Kofi. His name had been listed as one of those who cheated during a major exam and there were rumours that those listed would not graduate. D-day came and as rumoured, the school had decided to expel all whose names were on the list. Kofi could not understand why this was happening, as he ‘faithfully’ served God and knew that he did not cheat.

As he was in his room packing his bags, his friend Sam walked in with a rather long face and begged his forgiveness. He explained that he (Sam) had cheated and when he was caught, he had given his name as Kofi and had gone on to provide Kofi’s exam number, to cover his tracks. Kofi was totally devastated, the verdict had been passed and he was leaving school. How could his friend do this to him? His anger knew no bounds.. and as he shouted at Sam and cried, he felt like his heart would literally burst.

He was a Christian and knew about forgiveness but he didn’t feel he could forgive - this level of betrayal was unprecedented he thought.

Kofi’s story is not peculiar; there are times close friends and family would act in ways that ‘bring us to our knees’, sending us into the hole of despair. At that instance, our way out is forgiveness.

But what really is forgiveness? Forgiveness is first a command from God, so when we choose to forgive, we are choosing to obey God. Beyond this, research has shown that forgiveness benefits the offended, more than the offender. When we allow hurt to sit in our heart, it ends up becoming anger and resentment and all those hard emotions that affect our health negatively. 

How do you forgive? The first thing to do is to acknowledge the wrong and how it makes you feel. Find safe ways to deal with the hurtful emotions; make a decision to forgive, and choose to move on. You may speak with a trusted adult or a professional.  Trust God to work it all out for you and ask God to help you.

While you must choose to forgive, you must keep in mind that you don’t always need to reconcile with the offender.

Forgiveness does not mean that what was done to us is ok, it simply means we are choosing not to allow the offender to continue to hurt us.

Here are a few reflective questions:

• Is there someone I need to forgive?
• Is there anyone I have offended?
• Have I offended someone who works with me or supports my journey to destiny or has the person offended me?

Let Us Pray:

Dear God, thank You for forgiving me even when I don’t deserve it. Help me to forgive those who have hurt me. I pray I am forgiven too. Amen.”

Please say these words of affirmation after me. Say them, mean them, own them and live them:

• I choose to forgive because it sets my heart free.
• My destiny is too precious to be weighed down by bitterness.
• God’s love empowers me to forgive and move forward.

Have a day free of hurts. I’ll see you tomorrow, lovelies.

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