
When people talk about letting go of offenses completely. I always imagine them talking about me letting go of the last chance I have to hold substantial evidence of evil against this person. The legal license to think of their possible painful death. That part was a joke actually; a long time before I met Christ and gave my life to him to be my lord and savior. This actually equals asking him to control, pilot and direct the affairs of my life completely. Only if I choose to allow Him into every area of my life which includes letting go of offenses.
I know a lot of us to do not like that very picture of having to give him full control. We love to stay in control and have our wills intact and do whatever we deem fit. This is where it’s going to get tough on this topic of letting go of offenses. I’m going to puncture the very tender part of your emotions and the areas you have been running away from. Yeah! you know that grudge you don’t want to talk about but the very sight of that person disgusts you as if a thousand reptiles are crawling all over your skin
I have been hurt most of my life, worked for people who refused to pay up and still had to smile at people who hated me for no reason, but more than that, I have equally hurt people and have hurt God a couple of times than I can keep count. The issue of letting go of offenses isn’t a very pleasant one but I can make you see a greater future if you give me ten minutes of your time and allow your heart to find healing right now. Are you ready to let go? Let’s go
Ants, Sugar and the vilest offender
One of the gruesome sights I have ever come across in my entire life is that of ants around sugar and soldier ants on a straight file as if they were going to the stream. The mere sight of them gives me goose bumps and almost expands the size of my head; well, not literally but I could feel cold shivers run down my spine immediately in successive motions.
Nothing beats that sight than seeing the person who offended me fetching water or waving, all smiles at another person and acting so perfect and righteous when I know they are not exactly what they project themselves to be. Do you know the worst thing? It is seeing them raise holy hands in worship in church, Haba aunty, fear God. How can you offend a whole princess of Narnia and have the guts to walk into my father’s house and try to act all good and great before him? Another exaggeration again, lol.
Short people and Giants
Short people are the most interesting people to be around. I have a couple of them as friends; They are just cuddly and tiny loving people who are almost close to your breast area or your stomach height depending on how tall you are. I can be a little mischievous sometimes even though I am a short person to some tall guys. Well, I ain’t that short, they are just too ‘long’.
Each time I have these short ones around me, I see the way they struggle to put things on the top of the wardrobe and when they can’t, they just call someone else or quickly hide it somewhere within their height reach to avoid unnecessary stress of having to find someone to bring It down for them again.
If we were on a speed race of hide and search, a tall person would immediately look up to hide things while the short ones would quickly push it under the beds or anywhere they can easily reach it right?
Letting go of offenses is for you
I have a question. Don’t answer me now. Why does a lot of us behave like really short people even when we are tall and by tall I mean: tall in our exposure, dealings with God and enlightenment. We tend to hold on to things far too long and refuse to let them roll.
We refuse to see the greater good and possible healing we could attract by choosing to let go. Some of us are far too angry to think beyond the height of the atrocities we had experienced. we use our anger like familiar blankets to warm us as a comfort from the trauma, never realizing how we are smothering our futures.
We all have reasons to be angry and to hate without reservation but the reality is that the poison of unquenched anger doesn’t infect the perpetrator but only incarcerates the victim. Unforgiveness denies the victim the possibility of parole and leaves them stuck in the prison of what was, incarcerating them in their trauma and relinquishing the chance to escape beyond the pain.
I have learned that most people who harbor animosity in their hearts against others do so because they remain on the reservation of what has happened in the past rather than escape to the much larger idea of a better future. However, they must ask themselves, What will happen if I cling to my narrow perspective and lose a chance to loose change in my life? How can I move beyond my history into the larger terrain of my destiny?
The scary part of letting go of offenses
Each time I have this conversation with a friend at the restaurant over a bottle of drinks and plates of my favorite dish, I see them run around in circles ranting and beating their chest over what the other person had done. The hurt in their eyes and the tears stuck up forever in their voices reminds me of the times I had to die before God because I was scared of forgiving someone. Yes, forgiveness could be scary, very scary. You wanna know how? Read on
Have you ever been on a roller coaster ride? Do you know the ones usually found at the park? No? have you ever gone mountain climbing? Well, I haven’t either but I recall a couple of my friends went mountain climbing and just seeing the pictures alone scared the hell out of me. Well, I’m preparing for that mountain experience by June, You will get all the details; I promise.
Each one of them came back holding their boots in their hand because they had to remove it to have a smooth climb or else the heavy boot would pull them down. At first, removing the boots looked like a bad idea and a really scary adventure to embark on. Letting go feels like mountain climbing just like riding a car for the first time or taking up any new exciting task only that letting go isn’t always exciting for anyone.
letting go is a whole lot of emotional exercise
You first go down on your knees and hear the lord tell you strongly to just let go and you know, you feel this wave of bitterness and sorrow because they hurt you badly. It could be someone you never expected or a friend who hated you for no just cause.
Now you have to be the one to first forgive them but you can’t seem to find any grounds to even think of their forgiveness. Letting go is your one last chance to get revenge on the offender and yes, it’s scary to lose that divine privilege. It means you have to learn to relate with them all over again without having to make references to what they did in the past. It means you have to smile at them even when they don’t want to admit they are wrong or that they actually hurt you.
Ooohhhhhh! This reminds me of the most annoying set of people to forgive; they are the ones who are always adamant and never want to admit that the actually did anything wrong to you ever or that you even have to forgive them o any crime when it is glaring to Peter, James, and John that they did hurt you.
Listen, it is not about them right now but about you, your healing and your relationship with God. It’s about where you are moving to and the big ideas you have and your choice to live more healthily. Letting go of offenses is a healthy choice.
Offenses will come
Each time I read this verse of the bible. I imagine the Holy Spirit by my side rubbing my shoulders. Telling me to pull off my shoes, And walk on nails if I happen to find any on my path to success. Certainly, if you knew you and your friend would one day be at odds, maybe you wouldn’t have confided in him so deeply. If you’d known that your best friend or colleague wouldn’t repay the loan, you might have reconsidered cosigning.
Who would’ve foreseen that your long term love relationship would end with you screaming obscenities at someone you once caressed and to whom whispered sweet nothings? We all start with optimism or we wouldn’t begin the initiative.
In reality, it is important to realize that, like rain, offenses will come, often unexpectedly. No matter how wonderful the initial experiences are, how optimistically the first day at work may have gone, how special the child is that is born to the best possible parents, the disappointments will come. The child will at some time disappoint the parents and the parents eventually will disappoint the child. The Offenses come to everyone. The difference in people emerges in how they respond to the conflicts they encounter
Why you need to let go
So, now we are down to the reasons we must let go of offenses. Whether we feel the other party deserves it or not. Every religion talks about forgiveness to some extent. The bible is the only book that makes emphasis on letting go for over 70 times 7. A number that symbolizes boundlessness.
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Mathew 18: 22
Let us think about this, can someone even think of offending you for that long in a day? Even if they had Beelzebub living in them.
Three simple reasons
I can think of a thousand reasons you should let go but I will just spare you three of them. Then I allow you to go home and think on your knees in prayer. Why must you let go of that offense you have been hanging on to for a long time.
- An offense can become a snare, a trap, a hindrance or a stumbling block, a ploy of the enemy to cut you off from fellowship with the Lord.
- Because you deserve a better future and bigger ideas. We already talked about big ideas and better perspectives on life. It is one of the luxuries, letting go of offenses affords us. The ability to look beyond the present to a happy future of no grudges
- Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who trespass against us. Well, I didn’t want to start quoting scriptures for you. Even make you feel I had a vast knowledge of the bible. I know you have heard these sermons every dayAs it is with my style, I love to build premises. Then, let you see the reasons glare at you without having to fight a religious war with you. You see it has been said to you. Forgive others so you can be forgiven, what other reason do we need than this?
And forgive us our sins, For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.
Luke 11: 4
Conclusion of the matter
When you get into the Lord’s presence and speak release from those who have offended you. The walls of hurt can come down. If you are experiencing difficulty hearing God’s voice or if you are not feeling His presence. Perhaps you are carrying a grudge or unforgiveness in your heart toward someone who has offended you.
I hope you do see enough reasons to let go of offenses. Do you know other reasons why we should forgive others? Mmhmmm,Do you have any experiences on letting go of offenses? Do you want to share with other readers on this platform? Leave your comment below
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I will be waiting to hear from you.
I am currently in that state of letting go. If you had know you and your friend would one day be at odds, maybe you wouldn’t have confided so deeply in the guy. That’s one of my major heartbreaks, how someone whom you once loved and still love and who claimed to all and sundry to also love you, treats you now as though you never existed and as though all the love was just for a moment. It’s infuriating when you realise you dont mean anything to this person again while it seems you’re still stuck with such person deep in your heart. Letting go s a terribly painful process, for me it also involved letting go of the memories of the past. But as I’ve been hearing the lord say recently, do not remember the former things and do not consider the things of old. God help us to let go completely that we may heal. Amen.
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