Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. (Matt 18:22)
God made a way. In Jesus lies our guarantee. Follow his example, listen to his words, write them in your heart.
There is nothing wrong with being a little angry, provided your anger is properly directed and channeled. Jesus got angry at the money changers in the temple. He turned over their tables and caused a scene. Then he proceeded to heal the blind and the lame.
When Peter asked him "how many times, Lord" - Jesus not only gave him an answer, he gave him something to think about. No, we are not supposed to keep track until our forgiveness thermometer reaches 490. If you have that much time on your hands and the ability to keep a running total of forgiveness in your head, you may want to take a tally of how many times you have been forgiven. "Forgive and forget". Don't drag the ugliness out the next time you have a disagreement or a fight with someone. Wipe the slate clean - after all, that's what our heavenly father has done for us!
Begin today. Forgive it all and turn the page in your journal of hurts. It doesn't matter if the people you have hurt forgive you. It matters that you forgive them. Confusing? Not really. Shine the light on your own heart for a while. See where your own demons hide. Look to Jesus to open your eyes. Look to Jesus to soothe your broken heart. Look to Jesus to give you the strength to overcome whatever it is that is holding you back.
We all have painful memories that most of the time we remember only from our own point of view. We generally fail to see the opposing view point simply because our own injury is what takes precedence. We don't see the reasoning (whether logical or illogical) behind the action that caused those painful words or actions to be inflicted on us in the first place. What you see as being done out of spike, may have, in fact, been done out of pure love. It may have been done out of fear, or even out of genuine ignorance. Let it go. It's what's holding you back from a true love ~ God's love!
More often than not, when you "turn the other cheek", you will find a "kiss" is planted there. Be open to receive it - and in order for that door to be opened, you need to step far enough away from it so that it can swing wide and let the healing love of Jesus enter your heart. Take a risk, take a chance...forgive!
