Time and forgiveness

They say time heals and forgiveness sets you free, yet sometimes it feels as if time just creates an opportunity to put it in a box and hide it somewhere deep inside. Some days you forget and some days you remember. I am everything but perfect and I have probably made a ton more mistakes than you ever did. Carrying a burden alone can be hard and exhausting. The mind is a battlefield full of misguided thoughts and sometimes we really need to take control of our thoughts otherwise they will drive you insane. How far do you carry sorrow and how long does it dwell within in the deepest innermost parts of your soul? What do we allow into our minds by the very pain we do not let go? 

In essence everything is a choice and yes, we can choose to hold on to it and cherish it and allow it to control our outlook on the world. Sorrow and pain have a way to steal the true you and replace it with a crooked version of something we are not designed to become. Sometimes it feels as if you will lose more if you let go of what hurts so bad. It becomes a struggle between remembering and letting go to the extent that you just end up miserable. 

Where do you draw the line between memory and sorrow? Jesus stood before all those religious leaders as they accused Him and mocked Him while He was ridiculed and beaten. He was denied by His closest friend and questioned by people who walked with Him and shared a meal with Him. Those who saw what He was and what He did lost faith when He was captured. Fear took the place of love and friendship and bound them by the very things Jesus tried to free them from. How many times do we look at life and question our situation with the very idea that we did not deserve this. How many times do we question God when the outcome was our very own choices. 

Jesus prayed and asked the Father to take this cup from Him, if it was to be God’s will. He also said that the servant is not greater than the master, so if He was persecuted and hated and we become His followers, why do we expect rose pebbles and happy endings. In this life you will face many trials and tribulations and then Jesus went on and said fear not for I have already overcome the world. 

If your situation is not what you expected and your battle feels impossible, it is vital that you stay in the fight and do not give up. It may feel way above your level of endurance and strength but I tell you this – God hears prayer and He will carry you through it. 

Paul wrote that we can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.