Simplicity of forgiveness

I was listening to a podcast episode on forgiveness today. It was Rob Bell of course! He shared a definition of forgiveness that I like. He said forgiveness is when you decide to set someone free and then find out it was you. How true that is. I think much of our difficulty with forgiving others stems from our unwillingness to let things go. The root of anxiety is not letting go of my perceived fears and possible, but highly unlikely bad outcomes. We struggle to grow spiritually and find a healthy rhythm with God because we don't want to let go of our own ways, our own agendas, and our own comforts. 

There is freedom in letting go and trusting that the Holy Spirit will guide us. There is freedom when we let go in order to forgive others. There is joy beyond offenses and the need to be vindicated. There is an abundance of love that flows into our lives when we decide to hold nothing back from the Lord.

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