I Forgive You...

I forgive you

And I don't hold you to who you used to be

I choose to love who you are now

You've grown more into yourself

Than you've ever been

That deserves to be deeply seen

It points to the One

Who wove you together -

intricately

I forgive you

You do not owe me anything

You are not my enemy

We may not always heal

The mess and pain we cause

But we can kneel

Before the One who mends our souls

And keeps our tears

While we yield - behind closed doors

I forgive you

You didn't know what you were doing - not really

I have also been here before

And His kindness helped me see

That we are all in desperate need -

Of the redemption, the love and wholeness

He set in motion on that tree

We are all in desperate need

Of Him

I forgive you

You really are free

I pray that you receive - everything

Dreamed for you by the King

I forgive you

I never walked a mile in your shoes

If I have, who's to say

I wouldn't do worse than you

I forgive you

In more ways than I can say

And this is what I pray:

That we'll both walk with the One

In closeness -

In the cool of the day

I forgive you

With these tears in my eyes

Waters of grief, of healing, and joy

As I think of His lovingkindness and freedom

The ways of the King's kingdom

In which we get to partake

Both in receiving

And just as much when we say

I forgive you

We are all recipients of this

His unmatched love and grace

I forgive you

I do not hold you to the past

Those weights and chains

Are too heavy for any of us

I forgive us

We were both still growing up

Learning what it looks like

To love and be loved

I forgive me

As hard as that is to say

I choose to surrender to

What He says of my name

I forgive

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Author's Note:

We will always go through things in which we need to forgive. It is not a test, but an invitation to partner with heaven in bringing His restoration to the earth. Is it easy? No. Does it invalidate the pain? Also no. Does it ask us to live humbly and surrendered to the King? Definitely YES.

Forgiveness often asks us to surrender our pain, our brokenness, our stuff that we're to scared to let go of. Forgiveness asks us to trust Him - to trust that He is able to mend, to heal, to restore. It asks us to surrender our perspective of what justice looks like. None of us can claim 'holy' but the King. His perspective is the one we should be trusting. He is able to bring redemption out of humanity's brokenness and beauty out of ashes. We don't ge to decide who can be a part of that and who shouldn't.

Every time we yield our view of what is right and wrong to Him, every time we surrender humbly and choose forgiveness, we partner with His redemptive plan for creation.

Even when forgiveness means forgiving ourselves.

He is worthy of our trust. He holds us tenderly as He heals and restores.

A broken reed He will not break [off] And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish [He will not harm those who are weak and suffering]; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

Isaiah 42:3 (AMP)