Today, I want to discuss love and forgiveness.

Why? We have talked about this before. Yes, yes, we have. But, the culture we live in and the programming we have been filled with bombard us with lies regarding real love and genuine forgiveness.  I am constantly retraining my thinking on these subjects. I wanted to share with you what I have been focusing on. I thought you’d benefit from it, too.

 

Romans 5:5 says, “…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

This verse doesn’t seem very complicated. It’s pretty simple and straightforward, am I right?

Obviously, the love of God is not natural human love. This word is agape.  It’s the love that is of God.  There is a beautiful definition of this love that I want to refer to.  It states, “Agape is the love of God in the renewed mind in manifestation.”  This love is seen in me when I choose to renew/make new/change my thinking and transform from human thinking to supernatural thinking.  Then, I manifest it or bring it into this realm.   Agape is a supernatural love that The Supernatural poured into our hearts from His own being.  It’s beyond the natural. It’s in a higher realm.

This love is strong.

This love is enduring. 

This love has characteristics, unlike human love.

I want to focus on one such characteristic in I Corinthians 13.

I Corinthians 13:5 The Amplified Bible

“it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].”

Now, I don’t know about you, but I know there are times when things go on in life, and I take them very personally. I take account of them. I’ve even put them in a little mental scoreboard because I’m keeping score, and I’ll come back to that one later. I give lots of time and attention to wrongs done to me: ” Sweet little old me, how dare they.”

But, but, but….. if I’m in a renewed place in my heart where this love of God that Romans 5:5 just confirmed has been poured into me, then the higher version of Kalyn…the one that is transformed, the one that is walking in the spirit not the flesh, she can take no account/pay no attention to unkindness-ugliness-vengence-hate…evil done.

His love resides in a higher place than my human form and my human love.

His love observes situations from above!

Read it again. “it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].”

This is almost incomprehensible to me at times, but God’s love, the love that belongs to me, the love that is who He is (so pure and free) that it (not me) can basically ignore wrongs done. 

This love is not an outside thing; it’s an inside thing. It dwells deep within a heart rooted and grounded in love. 

A love that is not needed from others because God fills it.

One that does not seek validation from others because it’s approved by God.

One that is not a victim of others but whose source is The Source.

One that does not justify itself, for it has already been justified through Him.

One that does not worry.

One that does not doubt.

One that does not fear.

One that does not regret.

This love releases things that hold/bind/squeeze, or steal joy!

I have been given this kind of freedom in the love of God that is in me! Man, what a gift.

Yet, here I sit, working on forgiveness. Here I sit, angry at the wrong done to me. Here I sit, wanting to fight, get what’s mine, yell, or cry because someone or something has wronged me.

This is the internal struggle I am working on, and as I ask for wisdom, I know He will give it to me freely.  “Dad, how do I walk in your kind of love? How do I live in the love you have already placed inside me instead of the hurt my heart wants to wallow in?”

God – “Practice forgiveness.”

Me – “But I am a forgiving person.”

God – “Do you remember the wrong done to you?”

Me – “Yes.”

Then I hear Him say again, “Practice forgiveness.”

How do we get good at anything? Practice. The thing about practice is that we look pretty wobbly at first. It’s really not comfortable, and it’s kind of agitating at times. But practice is where we grow, where we learn, where we work out the unauthentic and get to the authentic.

Song of Solomon 2:1

Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.

A fox is a little creature.  Only about 15 inches tall.  It can’t reach the grapes on a vine, so if it gets to the vine, it will slowly chew at it until it breaks the root and the vine falls. Solomon says, “Get that little fox, catch them, stop them because, after a while, those little guys can cause big damage.”  This is an excellent illustration of forgiveness.  If I start practicing forgiveness in the little things: the waiter who doesn’t do a good job, the driver that appears to have missed driving school, the little attitude from someone, the mailman screwing up my delivery, again, the disappointment in an expectation that I put on someone…. then I get better at it.  When I practice paying No attention to wrongs done that are little and insignificant, then I’m going to protect my vine. I will get better at forgiveness for those who could cut to the core if I allow them to.

Here are some examples I am using to help me practice my forgiveness

Proverbs 12:16 Amplified Bible
The [arrogant] fool’s anger is quickly known [because he lacks self-control and common sense], But a prudent man ignores an insult.

Proverbs 12:16 TPT

If you shrug off an insult and refuse to take offense, you demonstrate discretion indeed. But the fool has a short fuse and will immediately let you know when he’s offended.”

Mathew 5:44 TPT

However, I say to you, love your enemy, bless the one who curses you, do something wonderful for the one who hates you, and respond to the very ones who persecute you by praying for them.

Luke 23:34

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Genesis 50:20

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

With all of this said, I have come to one conclusion in my own heart that I hope you can see, too:

Forgiveness is Confidence in God

But God!

I have His love, which does not put energy into what others may say or do to hurt me. Instead, it just keeps moving ahead.

Confidence in He who supplies my all,

Confidence in His ability and willingness to be with and for me in all my ways

Confidence that all things do work together for my good

Confidence that He is at work within me and around me and through me and by me

I want to close with a poem entitled Forgiveness

Forgiveness is not what I thought it to be.
I am owed an answer, a word, an apology.
Yet here I wait; not a word is spoken.
Guess I’ll stay angry, stay bitter, stay broken,
Wallow in my pain, wallow in my regret, pine for the lost youth I can never get.
Ugh, what a way to live a life; something about this can NOT be right.
What if, instead of this pitiful state, I let LOVE melt away this detestable hate?
Love for myself is the beginning of this new journey.
Realizing I can forgive myself and forgive others without worry.
Worry that I’ll miss something, worry that I can’t, worry that if I let go I just might forget.
Forgiveness is not what I thought it to be.
Forgiveness begins by forgiving me.
Then loving myself enough to learn about boundaries, Loving myself enough to release what once harmed me.
The power to be free resides solely in me.
I’m running towards this freedom, and I’m running fast!
A heart planted in forgiveness can’t not live in the past.

 

Watch it here!

КМ 07/23