Juliane Wiebracht

The issue of forgiveness is a painful one. Sometimes the wrong is so big, so deep and so wide that it almost seems petty and cruel, even to mention the word forgiveness. And yet, there is a large doorway of hope that God has placed in the very center of forgiveness that we often overlook. It is an entry way to freedom. The freedom to enjoy all that God has given us and allow Him to start something new in our lives. But it all begins with a heart that is ready to surrender. An unforgiving heart, at least in my own life, is an “arched back” type of heart. Like a rigid  toddler who refuses to get into his car seat, when my heart is unforgiving, it is not surrendered to God. Over and over I play in my mind how I will bring this person to a realization of their sin against me. Open their eyes to the depth of the wrong that they have inflicted on me. I picture myself winning and my adversary coming to a point of humiliation and regret. However, this is my flesh and not the desire of the Spirit within me. In contrast, the Spirit calls me to surrender. To give up the fight. To stop arching my back and instead crawl into the lap of my loving Father. Perhaps with...