Forgiveness can free us from the bitterness that is caused by refusing to let go.

How Much Can You Bench Press?

When I was a young athlete, this was a question that revealed information we believed to be valuable about an individual. In other words, how strong is this person? As coaches and athletes, we knew that having a strength advantage on your opponent was very important.

As we progress through the years, life teaches us things about strength. It seems now that there are better questions for revealing the true strength of an individual. Questions like, “DO YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO FORGIVE?”

Ed Thomas often spoke about the power of choice that we are given. Forgiving is a choice that has immense power. For most of us, it also takes an enormous amount of strength to forgive and let go. While we may never forget what someone did, we are at least able to live our lives without that negativity consuming us. After all, we only have one life to live– why let someone else control it?

At times, struggling to forgive reveals a weakness in our greatest opponent– ourselves. It’s easy to encourage forgiveness, that is, until you are the one that has to forgive. Whether caused by a loved one or a stranger, the pain can make us feel stuck. And sometimes, we may not even get the apology we think we deserve. The only answer? Forgiveness.

Forgiveness can free us from the bitterness that is caused by refusing to let go. Bitterness can cause a shrinking of one’s world where we may find ourselves trapped in negativity or the constant thought of revenge. One of my favorite sayings about forgiveness is:

“Forgiveness doesn’t excuse their behavior.
Forgiveness prevents their behavior from destroying your heart.”

What if all of us in these uncertain and confusing times, would choose to forgive those who we believe had wronged us? What changes would we see? A more loving and accepting world? A kinder, more compassionate human race? Let’s try it.

"If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins."

Matthew 6:14-15

Your Challenge

Choose to forgive. It will reveal your immense strength, if only to your greatest opponent... yourself.

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