“I’m not mad at you”: Lessons in Love and Forgiveness

It’s one thing for God to teach you something using His word; it’s another for Him to use a real-life experience. And boy, does He love throwing a good experience your way every now and then! In the last few months, I’ve truly had to learn the meaning of forgiveness and acceptance. 

I came face-to-face with a situation that I absolutely did not expect, and my faith was pushed to a new limit. One thing I would like to highlight at this point is: Don’t worry about the trials you are going to face in future. Instead, ask God for the grace and strength to deal with them well when they do rear their ugly heads. You can get past even the most difficult things and times if you just lean into God.

“As the body without spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (James 2: 26) 

Perhaps the biggest lesson I learnt is that we all sometimes need unpleasant experiences to bring out what is really inside of us. It’s easy to believe that you can extend mercy to someone in any situation when you haven’t ever really been tested in that area. It’s not difficult to say that you love a friend, partner or relative, until they hurt you really bad. 

The other crucial lesson I learnt is the fact that although someone I hold dear hurt me, I am in no position to hold it against them. Why? You might argue that I have every right to. But one thing that I strongly believe, and that God has largely placed emphasis on in my walk with Him, is this: As a receiver of grace, I must also be a minister of grace. As someone who has the mercy of God in bucket loads, I must similarly dish out that mercy to others. After all, I am to bear the very stamp of God’s nature – not in some, but all areas. 

And so should you.

Kunmi x