Someone gives you a drink, and they tell you it’s poison. Do you drink it? Of course you don’t. At least I hope that would be your response.
We know poison is bad for us. We know if we put it into our body it will cripple our insides. We understand it is not good for us. It will make us incredibly sick physically, and could have dire consequences if we don’t seek medical help to rid our body of it.
So why do we drink the toxic substance when it comes to unforgiveness? That is, unforgiveness is the poison we hold within our bodies when we don’t extend forgiveness to others who have hurt us.
Someone will hurt us, whether it be intentionally or not, and we hold on to our response. We get angry, bitter, sad, disillusioned and feel let down.
Remember how you said you wouldn’t drink the poison? Why do you hold on to unforgiveness?
Unforgiveness is simply drinking the poison and expecting the other person to die.
We have all found ourselves in situations where we have needed to forgive someone, or be forgiven ourselves for our wrongdoing.
Easier said than done. Imagine the father who has abandoned their child, imagine the victim of sexual assault, imagine the person on the receiving end of vicious bullying. Unfortunately for some, you don’t have to imagine. Its a real scenario that has grasped the depths of your being.
It causes you to hold onto something within yourself. That anger, bitterness, sadness can cripple other aspects of your life. It stops you from entering all that you dream of doing.
How do we overcome this?
Fortunately we have a teacher who understood the depths of rejection and abandonment, but was also on the receiving end of very harsh words and plots to take his life.
Jesus meets us where we are at. If you’ve ingested the poison many years ago and are still feeling the effects, he can bring full healing and restoration. If you’ve recently ingested the poison and you’re only starting to feel the effects of unforgiveness he can help you there as well.
Remember, Jesus is the true healer. Our actions and behaviours come in obedience to his teachings, which certainly put us on the right road toward restoration.
What do we do?
Acknowledge the pain.
If you’ve ingested the poison, simply take note of it. What poison did you drink? Was it anger, was it abandonment? Were you rejected? What is actually in your body at the moment? The doctor can’t help you if they don’t know what’s hindering you.
Repent and make right.
Acknowledge you need forgiveness. Ask God for forgiveness, forgive the person who hurt you, forgive yourself for letting it happen. Think of it as 360 degree forgiveness. Don’t miss anyone, remember, its 360 degrees!
Making right isn’t reclaiming what is yours. Making right is a learning experience. Take the medicine that will heal you from the effects of the poison. You’ve forgiven yourself, but you need to bring your mind, body and soul back into alignment.
It will all seem too tough. We’ve chosen to drink the poison. Surely there is no coming back from this. Is there a way we can experience healing?
If we are being realistic, we will continue to drink the poison. We will continue to be hurt and carry unforgiveness in our hearts.
But we have a choice. The choice to forgive. The choice to feel better and experience healing after ingesting the poison.
Acknowledge the pain. Feel the force of it.
Ask for forgiveness, forgive those you’ve hurt, and forgive yourself.
Do what you need to get healthier, to bring your body back to equilibrium.
Each of us can do it!
Fiona Mackenzie is doing her best to figure life out. Along the way, she enjoys the odd coffee and exploring the great outdoors. She hails from Newcastle, NSW, making the most of the beach and coastal lifestyle. More of her thoughts can be found at www.thefightback.net