I have learned that one of the ways to experience God’s love is through forgiveness.
I forgave people who hurt me – my family, my friends, strangers, and also myself. It was not an easy task to do at first, but the more I practiced forgiveness, the more freedom came to me. It was tremendously lifting. I began to address the biggest hurt first and worked my way down to the smallest hurt. I renounced, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I forgive ______ . I was hurt when they did _______. At that time, I felt ________.” For every incident that hurt me, I practiced forgiveness. Sometimes, I will remember an incident I had forgotten a long time ago and soon as I remembered it, I renounced it. This is what I did to experience freedom.
Then one day, I was forgiven by my daughter. My five-year-old daughter was playing with Legos, and I was working on my computer desk. Then, out of the blue, she verbally states, “Mom, I forgive you for all the hurtful words you spoke to me.” Inside, I cried a river because my little Jesus said that she forgave me. What more can I ask for when someone forgives me? That kind of grace, that kind of mercy, and that kind of love – I do not deserve it, and it did not come with a price. It came free.
As I write this testimony, I can’t help but shed tears because Jesus forgave me. I experienced forgiveness through my daughter. I experienced forgiveness on Earth.
I thought God’s love was to forgive others, and it ended there. However, that is only half of the love. The FULLNESS of God’s love is when I have received Jesus’ forgiveness. It is when I forgive and in conjunction is forgiven – it is only then that the full love is poured onto my heart.
Thank you, Jesus, for providing the opportunity to forgive others.
Thank you, Jesus, for forgiving me.
God is Love