Heart Medicine

Being able to forgive is a very powerful medicine. It is very true that forgiving is for you and not for the other person. My Bishop has often said that not forgiving is like me taking poison waiting for you to die. The first time I heard this I had no idea what he meant, but the concept of forgiving was a new one for me. I had never really thought of forgiving as something that frees me.


This weekend gave me an opportunity to apply the principal of forgiving in a way that I never would have without realizations and revelations that God has provided me in the past several months.

My husband and I have been blessed to come to a point in our relationship where we feel safe to share whatever is on our mind. This past Friday night, he exercised this trust and openness and shared something that caused a bit of a strain. In his attempts to help a friend, his reputation had been put under fire. A comment had been made by the friend in an attempt to protect themselves but the untruth of the matter could have shattered months and years of work in our relationship. This person, in an attempt to cover a compromising situation for themselves, stated that my husband was unfaithful.

Given past experiences in our relationship, this gave me quite a bit of heartache. I intensely felt the need for revenge and for someone to pay for opening old wounds. I was in such a bad place mentally that I did not sleep Saturday night and was up for over 24 hours. I was furious and enraged. I had allowed anger to rest in my heart. I chose to disregard the heeding of Ecclesiastes 7:9 'Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.' I had allowed myself to become foolish. Proverbs 29:11 says 'A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control' New International Version. I was not in control of my thoughts or emotions. I was a fool.

I admitted to myself and to my husband that I knew the right thing to do was pray and ask God to help me deal with my anger and rage but I didn't want His help at the time. (Feeling that way may have been wrong but it was honest. Dishonesty with God prevents him from working with us and on us. Talk to God and be honest with him about your hurts, fears, etc. David did.) I wanted to be mad and I wanted someone to pay. Through choosing to live in a place of anger instead of forgiving, I almost missed the opportunity to grow and learn. I now have a testimony.

God showed me that if I did not forgive that person and harbored or gave room to anger in my heart, I am the fool. I would not move forward in the things that He has promised me and the things that He has purposed for me to do and succeed in. I had to make an inward decision to forgive. I forgave the person and I forgave myself. Do not forget to forgive yourself. We make mistakes, we fall short. Don't keep making yourself pay for these things. Remember to forgive you.

In the things that have happened in your life, forgive. Past, present and beyond, forgive. Forgive for you and not for them. The longer you do not forgive the longer you will see the desires of your heart pass out of your reach. Never think that it is too late to forgive. You can forgive someone today for something that happened years ago. God is a redeemer of time. Don't let the enemy fool you into thinking it is too late. It is never too late to forgive.

Forgive and experience the joy and peace of God's love.