Walking in Freedom is Walking in Forgiveness

Walking in Freedom is Walking in Forgiveness.

I don't know whether you knew this or not but people aren't perfect.

I'm not perfect, you aren't perfect, even my wonderful husband is not perfect.

I've had a rude awakening of the reality of this concept.

For some people it's easy to find their flaws and others not so much.

When we see the people with "no flaws" we put them on an emotional pedestal.

They do no wrong, they will never hurt you, and they are better than every one else.

But, then something happens, the person that we put on the pedestal messes up.

They hurt us and we crucify them.

We get hurt and take matters into our own hands.

They will never be allowed close to us again and we change our list and put them at the bottom.

I have been there.

I have done all of this.

I hated every moment of it.

We build this wall up inside of us and swear we will never let anyone close to us again.

Our hearts become hard and unsatisfied.

We feel a distance from God and wonder why we can't connect.

So, when all of these emotions come there is only one logical option.

RUN.

When my brother Jeff died I felt numb.

It was a Sunday morning and I went to shower after I was told.

I stood in the shower for what felt like forever.

I felt something inside of me say "If you don't go to church today, you will never go back."

I knew with all my heart right there I had a choice.

A choice to walk in freedom or bondage.

I knew that my heart would never soften if I let it get hard right at that moment.

I got ready went to church and did the only thing I could.

I prayed the same thing over and over again.

"I'm not mad God. I'm not mad God. I'm not mad God."

I didn't know anything else to say. 

I felt nothing for a long time.

Months. 

Eventually, I started to feel what I prayed. 

Freedom.

Enter by the narrow gate;

for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction,

and there are many who go by it.

Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

Forgiveness is the narrow gate and difficult way but it leads to freedom, life.

When we get hurt by people, whether it is their fault, ours, or a misunderstanding, it doesn't matter.

We have to learn about ourselves.

Our job isn't to change how others act. 

Our job is to figure out where we are at with our Father.

Where is your value?

It could be that we took too much value from that person's opinion and allowed it to define who we are.

That pedestal is a dangerous place to place someone other than God.

There is always a lesson for our own hearts when we get hurt.

That lesson isn't to harden your heart.

We have to learn to press into the Lord,

To crush the bridge of their values of you in our heart.

We have to learn to walk in forgiveness, 

to walk in freedom.

Forgiveness leads to freedom.

You might not feel anything but hurt for months, but sooner or later you will see how

choosing the narrow gate is hard but it leads to life.  

You will find yourself closer to God, finding more and more about His heart for you.

Learn to walk in forgiveness.  It is walking in freedom.