Read: Colossians 3:12-14
In the movie “Saving Mr. Banks,” Walt Disney is trying to convince P.L. Travers to let him make her book Mary Poppins into a film. However, Mrs. Travers holds onto some troubling memories of her past, which make it difficult for her to trust Walt with her story. Walt tells her about his life at the age of 8, working for his father delivering newspapers. This required him to walk through freezing cold Kansas City snows in threadbare clothing and worn shoes twice a day to the point that his face peeled and he even passed out a time or two from the cold. If the papers weren’t delivered in a timely manner, Walt met with the wrong end of his father’s belt. He explains to Mrs. Travers that “he doesn’t tell her this to make her sad…but rare is the day when he doesn’t think about that 8-year old boy and Elias Disney with that strap in his fist…and he is tired of remembering it that way. And he asks her if she is tired too. We all have sad tales, but don’t you want to finish the story and have a life that is not dictated by the past?”
Holding onto hurts and wounds is tiring. It leads to a path of anger, bitterness, and thoughts of retaliation. It steals peace, joy, happiness, and hope. Your story does not have to continue being defined by an offense or wound inflicted by someone else. Instead, break free from the grip of the wound and the offender by choosing to forgive. Forgiving is literally “letting go” of a debt that is owed. First, identify the wound and what was taken. Then pray for the power to forgive the offender of that debt. The act of forgiving will break the power of the wound and lead to a path of peace and freedom from the hurt. For some, it may take the act of forgiving daily to break free. But over time, with the help of Jesus, forgiveness will be achieved and the power that the offender had will be replaced with a peace that comes from God. Don’t let unforgiveness be the focus of your story.
What is the hurt, shame, or offense that currently holds you hostage to bitterness, vengeance, or retaliation? Are you tired of your life being dictated by something in your past? Perhaps now is the time to consider forgiving the offender.