SORRY...FORGIVE ME:Advice from Grandma Frogger

Good morning my little Froglets, Froggers, and Frogsters.

Grandma Frogger here. 

You may have already learned some of these things in Church or Sunday School or from the Bible.  Maybe your mom and dad have already had a chat like this with you.  But even grandmas need to be reminded of these things.

  My chat today is about the consequences of choosing not to forgive.  I want you to be aware of the damage that unforgiveness can do.

You do not have to wait for an apology or a sorry before you forgive.  Forgiveness is what helps me and you to let go of the wrong that has been done to you and me.

Forgiveness is mine/your responsibility. 

Matthew 6:14-15

 "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Why? Because I have and you have already been forgiven by God and the Bible tells me, tells you in Matthew 6:14 that we should forgive others.

Forgiving does not mean I'll feel better right away about what happened.  It is a choice you make to move on. 

  Think of a cut on your skin – forgiveness covers like a band aide and protects you while your body heals.

Not forgiving others is not healthy.

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

Colossians 3:13 | NIV |

  It can leave us feeling really bad on the inside, and cause us not to trust other people.  Over time, not forgiving can be like picking a scab.  Keep your hurt covered with forgiveness and your heart will stay good.

Forgiveness is not…keeping score-not forgetting it happened-not fair

• Keeping score: When we throw away the bad thing that happened, it means we don’t remind the person again that they did it. It means we start over.
• Forgetting: Even though we’ve thrown out the bad thing that happened, we don’t have to forget it happened. If someone who hurt us before tries to hurt us again, we can protect ourselves. You should always tell an adult you trust when anyone hurts you–no matter what.
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• A feeling: Forgiveness is something we give even when we still hurt by what happened. Our feelings may still hurt for a time.  Talk to Jesus and ask him to help heal your hearts.
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• Fair: It’s not fair that a person who hurt us gets a second chance, but love isn’t based on fairness. It’s based on the love of God who loves us without condition. This is what I would tell your parents when they were young,  this is the love your great grandpa, my father showed, “Nothing you could ever do will make me love you less.” It’s true with our relationship with God, and it can be true with our relationship with others.  Nothing you do as my grandchildren will make me love you less either.

Knowing something about the consequences of choosing not to forgive  will help you in life.
  It damages our relationship with our offender, but also with God.
Not forgiving directly affects our relationship with God. As we hold on to anger and hurt, those heavy emotions make it difficult for us to feel the Holy Spirit’s nudges or hear God’s voice in our lives.

 Add to that the fact that bitterness can take a toll on your physical body as well as your emotional state. 
Not forgiving others is bad. 
Not forgiving not only destroys relationship, it destroys the people who don’t forgive. It is not only destructive of relationships, it is self-destructive.
 The Bible makes it very, very clear that where there is a lack of forgiveness, there will develop bitterness
 (Bitterness is like a bad taste in your mouth) and out of bitterness come hatred and with hatred comes anger and the end of hatred and anger and bitterness is the pursuit of vengeance. 
 Ephesians 4:31.
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.”

Now let’s look at Hebrews 12:15, “looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness spring up to trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.”

 You might have roots of bitterness in your heart. When people hurt us, seeds are planted.
 If we let these bad seeds grow, it becomes a root of bitterness.
 A root is tough to remove, much tougher than a seed. It is better to remove a seed than to remove a root.
 Sometimes, you want to pay someone back by punishing them. 
Revenge is never satisfied, it's never enough.  Consequently people live with the bitterness and it is deeper and deeper as they live with it longer. 
So my dear grand kids, these are things I would like you to remember as you grow up so that your love for God will grow big. Don't wait til your a parent or a grandparent to forgive.  It will suck the joy out of your life.

AFTER ALL:
 What does God do with your sin?
He throws it behind his back,
drowns it in the sea,
treads it underfoot,
blots it out,
forgets it,
removes it,
covers it,
takes it away,
cancels it,
washes it,
and forgives it.

And if God can do and will do all of this forgiving in the present because of one thing he did in the past for us, then we should be willing to do some forgiving too.
THIS IS WHAT IS TOTALLY AWESOME ABOUT OUR God!
Love,
Grandma 
GOD'S LOVE LETTER TO YOU click here