....freedom

His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. 'We are your slaves,' they said. But Joseph said to them, 'Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:18-20

If you were to reflect on the past year, I am sure that some may be reminded of hurt feelings. Perhaps some of us are dragging these feelings into the new year. While it may be easier to ignore those feelings, if not dealt with, these feelings can produce bitterness and anger in us. It is hard to practice gratitude with these feelings in our hearts. Instead of trying to sweep these issues under the rug, we can choose to enter the new year with the freedom of forgiveness. 

In order to truly forgive, we must surrender it all to God. This can be difficult because we typically associate the word surrender with defeat or losing the battle. But when our hurts are surrendered to God, this is when he lifts the weight off our shoulders and handle's the situation as he sees fit. Our healing begins when we come in total surrender to God. He covers us in his love, mercy, and fills us with his peace. Our human nature may want revenge on those who have hurt us, but when we surrender to God, we can trust that he will take care of it. Romans 12:19 says, "Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God… 'I will take revenge; I will pay them back', says the Lord." 

The story of Joseph is a perfect example of this. When he saw his brothers before him that day, I am sure that all those feelings of hurt came back for all they had done to him. He had suffered greatly because of their jealousy. But he acknowledged God's control over everything and realized how God had used the hurt to accomplish His plans for Joseph. In the same way, God can take our pain and use it for good when we surrender it all to Him.

Friends don't take offenses and hurts from last year into the new year. If we want to have peace, we need to surrender our hurt feelings over to God. We need to relinquish control. If there is someone you need to forgive, take it to God in prayer right now, leave it in His hands, choose to forgive, and trust Him with the results. Forgiveness is not about the other person, but about us and the freedom we can enjoy in Christ.

- charles iness