For years, I dreaded having Christmas with my family.  I knew we were going to end up arguing over who’s house to meet at, what time to meet, who was going to cook what, or any other detail of Christmas.  I hated to think about this time of year.  My mother, sister and I would always end up arguing.  It never failed.  Someone would always get their feelings hurt or stomped on and then the arguing would begin.  When Christmas day came and we had our “family” time, one of us was always mad at the other.  We couldn’t enjoy the true meaning of Christmas.  We became so busy worrying about ourselves, that we took our eyes off of why we have Christmas in the first place. 

When we finally decided we would simply forgive and move on, our Christmas became much more enjoyable. I ask you this Christmas season, can you give the gift of forgiveness?  Maybe you need to forgive someone or simply forgive yourself – do it!  You will begin to feel freedom and begin to really enjoy Christmas.  After all, Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus’ birth.  It is a time to be thankful that He was born and thankful for our families He has blessed us with.  When we make a decision to focus on Him and not us, then Christmas is always a time of joy and happiness.

This Christmas I choose to forgive.  I choose to give the gift of forgiveness.  I choose to not allow bitterness, anger, and hurt to control me and allow me to take my eyes off of Jesus.  What about you?

Let go and Let God!

Many blessings,

Related Blogs:

Freedom in Forgiveness

12 Gifts of Christmas: Forgiveness

Present Peace:  Experience Family Forgiveness this Christmas

When we hold onto unforgiveness in our hearts we are holding onto anger, bitterness, and pain.  This pain will not go away until we let go and let God.  Let God deal with all the pain the other person has caused us.  Let God be the vindicator.  In Joyce Meyer’s book, I dare you, she states, “Bitter, angry people who seek revenge have been hurt, and they haven’t learned that God is their Vindicator.  They don’t know He will bring justice in their lives if they will just wait on Him.”  To me, that is freedom. 

In the past I thought I couldn’t forgive someone because if I did I was letting them off the hook.  I was setting them free from their wrong doing against me.  No, to forgive that person doesn’t set them free, it sets us free.  We are free from the anger, bitterness, and pain the other person has caused us to have.  I once heard that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting on the other person to die.  This is so very true.  If we do not forgive we are only hurting ourselves.  We are only allowing the pain to grow more and more everyday until we slowly lose sight of all the good in our lives.  Our bitterness will turn to rage and soon it will be portrayed to others in our lives that we love.

So friend, if you have unforgiveness in your heart, I ask you to give it to God.  It may not be easy, you may not be ready yet, but simply ask God to help you forgive.  You are not alone.  God is always with you and He will help you through. Forgiveness is not always instantaneous.  Forgiveness may take time.  I promise you, if you decide that you are going to attempt to forgive, freedom will come.  Freedom from pain, freedom from anger, and freedom from bitterness.  As I’ve stated before, life is all about choices.  You can choose to live your life full of pain and misery, or you can choose to let go and let God.  I leave you today with this poem:

Letting Go

To let go doesn’t mean to stop caring, it means I can’t do it for someone else.

To let go is not to cut myself off, it is the realization that I can’t control another.

To let go is not to enable, but to allow learning from natural consequences.

To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means the outcome is not in my hands.

To let go is not to try to change or blame another, I can only change myself.

To let go is not to care for, but to care about.

Too let go is not to fix, but to be supportive.

To let go is not to judge, but to allow another to be a human being.

To let go is not to be in the middle arranging outcomes, but to allow others to effect their own outcomes.

To let go is not to be protective, it is to permit another to face reality.

To let go is not to deny, but to accept.

To let go is not to nag, scold, or argue, but to search out my own shorcomings and to correct them.

 To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires, but to take each day as it comes and cherish the moment.

To let go is not to criticize and regulate anyone, but to try to become what I dream I can be.

To let go is not to regret the past, but to grow and live for the future.

TO LET GO IS TO FEAR LESS AND LOVE MORE

To let go is to give all your pain and all your unforgiveness to God.  Maybe you are holding onto unforgiveness of yourself, or unforgiveness to a friend , or unforgiveness of a spouse or family member.  Try allowing yourself to let go and let God.  Let God carry your burden of sorrow.  He will lift your load and give you peace and comfort.  You will receive healing, you will receive freedom.

Scripture of the day:  Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

Scriptures to meditate on: Gen. 33:4-15, Gen. 45: 8-15, Numbers 12:1-13, 2 Sam. 19:18-23, 1 Kings 1:53, Luke 23:34, Luke 17:4, Act 7:60, 2 Tim. 4:16

Suggested Reading:  Forgiving Others