Everyone has a story to tell. When we make the connection between our story and God's great story, we come away with HIStory, which involves each and every one of us.
 {There’s this uncomfortable topic that God placed in my heart to address this week. I wasn’t much too thrilled about it but I now know it was His design for me to dive in deeply because of the healing that needs to take place in my own heart. I hope and believe that it will touch you and encourage you as you walk this same journey. So let’s do this together. May we open our hearts and minds and allow God to break through as we begin the process of forgiveness.}  As I thought about and studied this, I realized right away that I needed to take a step back before I could take any steps forward in offering forgiveness. So this caused me to contemplate on the “why” I should forgive when there are so many reasons for “why not” to forgive. I thought about the golden rule and the verses where we read... “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” - Luke 6:31 “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 7:12 And then I thought about the emotional toll that it takes on one when forgiveness isn’t granted and how important it is to release the bondage of bitterness and hatred that one might feel. Then there’s releasing the power that this particular person might have on you. One can only feel this terrible if one is allowing this person to affect them in such a way. So releasing that power is paramount to forgiving. Then there’s the painful reality of one’s own actions and how that might have contributed to the other person’s offense. And then I reached what I believe to be the most profound reason why we should forgive. It hinges on the notion that we should forgive because we have been forgiven. Jesus has forgiven us of all our sins. They are entirely washed away. This is what the cross is all about. And well, it’s in the same series of events that lead Jesus to the cross on His final days that Jesus spoke to His disciples one day in what we know as the Sermon on the Mount and He gave them the beatitudes… a benediction, a supreme blessedness. And this lead me to the greatest reason for “why” I should forgive… Matthew 5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Meek, meaning mild, gentle. Biblical meekness is not weakness but rather refers to exercising God's strength under His control – i.e. demonstrating power without undue (excessive) harshness. Or as Carolyn Arends puts it, “real strength harnessed to the right master.” So in essence, it’s receiving your strength, forgiving strength in God. Forgiveness is not something that we can give without harnessing it to the right master, God. Jesus bestows this supreme blessedness and it should be received with the understanding that... “Jesus calls us to a higher standard of life and a righteousness (being right with God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ) that can only come from walking closely with him.” - Women of Faith Study Bible. So that, as Tim Keller puts it.. “forgiveness is something you grant before you feel it.” It’s only through this means that we can organically and genuinely forgive those who have hurt us. And you might feel they don’t deserve it. But that’s not for us to contemplate. Our reward is in experiencing this freedom and strength and inheriting a supreme reward from a divine Father. We will inherit the earth - all the greatness, all the blessings that this land has to offer. So as we walk this journey of forgiveness, let us begin with meekness. May this serve as a catalyst to living freely, wholly healed and harnessed to our great Father! May we live out meekness together: “the character of one who has the passion of resentment under control, and who is therefore tranquil and untroubled.” - Ellicott's Commentary Let us inherit the earth together: “Whatever happiness can be enjoyed here below shall be their portion. They may not indeed be advanced to honour or affluence; nor can they expect to be without troubles in this fallen world, subjected as it is to vanity and misery for the sin of man; but the calamities of life, and the various afflictions and trials which they meet with, being received with a quiet spirit, a resigned, patient, and contented mind, are hardly felt, while the blessings of Providence, through the gratitude they feel for them, are tasted and enjoyed in all their sweetness and comfort.” - Benson Commentary May we strive to be meek like Jesus! In His love, Damaris Avila
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Damaris U. Avila lives with her loving husband and their two inquisitive and sweet girls. Through personal storytelling, she invites women to share and see themselves in God's story. She leads young girls through BeYOUtiful Girl Time, a sisterhood where girls are encouraged to become the women God designed them to be.
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
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