Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Luke 6:37 (NKJV)
I have had to come to God many times to help me forgive someone who has hurt me or wronged me in some way-not so much physically, but certainly emotionally.
For instance, when I was quite young, I had a special cat I loved. At that time, living on the reserve, we had a day-school teacher who was boarding in our home. He decided one Sunday morning, while my family was in church, to take my cat into the woods and kill it. His reasoning was that he was sure my cat had tuberculosis, and he wanted to protect my siblings and me from getting sick.
But for many, many years this bothered me. I really hated this teacher, but I kept it to myself. It was not until I got much older that I realized I needed to unload this burden I had been carrying.
One day, God made it clear to me the need to forgive this teacher. Not to say that what he did was okay, but to let God be the judge and deal with him. It was not easy, but when I took that step, it was a big relief.
When we forgive, in a way we are saying, "I have been hurt. My pain is real. Yet, I know that my Heavenly Father has forgiven me for my sins and wants me to forgive as well. I recognize that holding on to my pain hurts me more than it hurts the other person. Relying on God's help, I give up my right to condemn the people who hurt me."
If you are dealing with the issue of forgiveness, I pray you are able to let go and let God take control. May God help all of us to work on healthy relationships characterized by love and forgiveness.
Bessie McPeek is a member of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Band (Oji-Cree). She lives in Winnipeg, and is involved in women's Bible studies and translating children's Bible stories. Bessie was very much involved, with her late husband, George, from the beginning stages of Intertribal Life's ministry.
This devotional is from Council Fire: Daily Devotionals from Indigenous Followers of Jesus, Vol. 2. You can get a whole year of these devotionals by contacting Intertribal Life (director@intertriballife.org) or using the order form on page 18. You can also listen to the devotionals at the new Council Fire podcast at councilfire365.org.
