Walking forward in Simplicity - Session 2

Forgiveness.
How does that one feel rolling off your tongue? Read that word again - Forgiveness.
Wait a second, we're talking about Simplifying Life here, right? What does forgiveness have to do with simplifying my life?  I'm all about neat tips and tricks, and maybe even some touching verses and analogies.
But Forgiveness? .... Eh. That's a little too close to home.  Let's get back to my comfort zone.
But... If you're Really Honest with yourself, I mean Really.Honest.With.Yourself.  You have things and people in your past, and in this moment right now that you need to forgive. (Come On, no one else is reading this with you. Take off the mask for a second and try not to indulge in the gut reaction that is getting defensive.)  It's not a secret. It's human nature. We All Do, and I myself am probably the worst offender.

The simplicity of a settled past, being healed, so we can be 100% present in this moment.

Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  -Philippians 3: 13-14
-This ONE thing I do: Forgetting what is behind... 
A great idea, to forget someone's transgression against us and move on.  But this is So not natural.  Our carnal instincts, our most basic (flawed and fallen) nature says that if someone hurts me, I have the right to be wounded.  And even more so, I have the right to hurt them back.  But when we get into this kind of mentality, bitterness can easily start to consume us.  There's nothing simple about living in regret and anger, in fact it does the opposite - clouding up your life and thoughts, and keeping you from having a realistic view of all the blessings that are right in front of you.

Bitterness is like drinking poison, hoping it will kill the other person. 
Women like to talk - it's typically how we work through our issues.  The problem is, talking about something does help us to let steam off, but it doesn't always actually make us deal with our pain - it doesn't get to the heart of the problem and allow us to be healed and move forward.  The enemy wants us to remain discouraged and disheartened, and to feel insecure about ourselves and our relationships.  It's easier to gossip, and to place blame.  But - although it may be painful and potentially take us to places we'd rather not go - there is freedom in forgiveness.  There is simplicity in leaving the past in the past, and choosing to move forward with your life.  Forgetting doesn't necessarily mean "no longer remembering" - it's more so  "no longer remembering someones transgression against them." Letting something be settled in your life and in your heart.  One of the most unfortunate parts of life is that we grow the most through pain, but when you see pain as just that - an opportunity to grow - it can start to change your perspective, and every single moment of your day.
"Forgiving does not erase the bitter past.  A healed memory is not a deleted memory.  Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember.  We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future."  - Lewis Smedes

"Don't share your mess with everybody until you can speak of it from a healed heart, and use it as a testimony."  

I think about it this way: It's natural for us to react in self defense, in anger, in a cry for "justice" to be served to those who hurt us.  But if you call yourself a follower of Christ, you are called to a higher way of thinking that is above these carnal, knee-jerk reactions.  The world says you have a right to get angry and seek revenge.  Jesus says trust in Him - that he sees all, and that he knows the hearts of everyone - and that one day all things will be revealed.  As followers of Christ we are called to live above these petty and childish standards.  It's really about growing up and being intentional about changing the way you see things - about being a person who happens to Life, rather than a person that Life happens to.  We've all heard it before "you can't change what happens to you, you can only change how you react."  Me personally? I have a long way to go with this one, but I want to be a person who is part of the solution, not part of the problem.  It's about growing your heart; changing the way you see things, and becoming a mature person who has their reactions under control.  There's so many beautiful examples of Jesus showing us how to do this, and the more I study the Bible the more I want to follow in my master's foot steps - to simplify my life, and to be the person he always intended me to be.  Because really - "We all fall short, and that's the beautiful part.  Broken, flawed, vulnerable people like you and me are invited to be the hands and feet of a Jesus who loves us exactly as we are; yet loves us way too much to let us stay that way."

I remember the first time I heard this song.  Immediately God put a certain person on my heart.  Who comes into your heart when you hear these words?  Maybe today is the day you can finally start to simplify your life, and let go of what is holding you back.
Matthew West - Forgiveness