Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Boys usually love foot races. It gives you a chance to show off how fast you are. Unless it's a three-legged race, in which case even an Olympian looks like a total klutz. They first roped me into a three-legged race at a Sunday School picnic when I was a kid. What they do is they tie each runner's leg to the leg of his relay partner. Then you get to see which team can round the track first, tied to each other. Speaking as a veteran, believe me, you stumble, you stagger, and you limp your way through this event where everyone looks dumb. What's really fun is when you go down and your psycho partner decides to keep running, dragging you along.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Cutting the Rope That Ties You Down."
Not long ago, a good friend was talking about the man who had, in essence, cheated her out of her parents' inheritance. Even though he's since died, she still harbored bitterness toward that man who wronged her greatly. In recent years, she has come into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ. Not long ago, she said, "I've allowed that man to chase me from his grave. The only way I can be free is to forgive him." She's right.
The irony of bitterness is that it ties us emotionally to the very person we're bitter toward. It's like trying to run full speed in a three-legged race. You can't run like you need to run until you cut the rope that ties you to the person who wronged you. And that can only be done by doing what seems unthinkable - forgiving that person. Until you do, you keep thinking about them, replaying the tapes of how you were wronged, or dwelling on your wounds. Someone has wisely said, "Bitterness is a poison drink you make for someone else and wind up drinking it yourself."
My prayer is that, for someone listening right now, this could be your Liberation Day; the day you're released from the grip of the person who hurt you. How? By you're releasing them through forgiveness. Just as you might be thinking, "No way," along comes our word for today from the Word of God in Colossians 3:13. "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another." Our human nature says, "Yeah, right. You don't know what that person did to me." Then comes the rest of the verse: "Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Suddenly, God says, "Think about all you've been forgiven by Me, and I'm perfect. As My forgiven one, how can you refuse to forgive another?"
The Lord didn't forgive us because we deserved it. We didn't. Forgiveness was a choice - an expensive choice for Him. It always is. To forgive is to take off your judge's robe and trust that person totally to God's judgment. It's deciding you will treat that person, not as they treated you, but rather as Jesus treated you. If you say, "I can't," that's okay. As long as you turn to the Great Forgiver and say, "Jesus, I can‘t forgive this person. But I'm asking You to send Your love and Your forgiveness through me to him or her."
Jesus helped us with a secret for letting go of our anger and bitterness toward someone. He said, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" ( Luke 6:44). It's hard to keep hating someone you keep praying for. After all, isn't that what Jesus did on the cross when He prayed for those who had driven the nails into Him? "Father, forgive them." How can you do any less? And why would you run any farther tied to the person who hurt you.
When you forgive the one who's wronged you, you cut the rope and set two people free.