FORGIVENESS IS THE KEY TO THE BLESSINGS OF GOD The other day a friend of mine was telling me that since she determined to forgive her husband she noticed that nice things were beginning to happen to her. She said she faced herself and knew it was unforgivness that caused her to gain thirty pounds, and used her child as a weapon against her husband. See saw how her hate was destroying everything, especially her child and herself, but the hate was stronger than her love. She moved back and forth from the hated husband dragging the child behind her. The husband was confused about my friend’s so-called Christianity, and one day, after a heated argument, the husband threw out her Christian material, which made my friend challenge herself. When my friend returned home, got out of the car to open the garage she saw her reading material in the trash, and was infuriated, but as she stormed towards the house her daughter called out for help, because her jacket was caught on the doorknob. My friend stood still, momentarily, with her fists tighten to attack, thorn between rushing to confront her hate, or turning in love to help her child. She decided to help her daughter and in doing so heard a small voice saying forgive him, he is the father of your beautiful child. My friend unhooked her daughter and turned slowly towards the trash can, tears swell her eyes as she felt the conviction of carrying hate for ten years, towards her husband. God have mercy on her, she prayed, as she slowly picked up a daily meditation book and read about a woman who lost her entire family in a fire, then she heard her daughter singing a common nursery rhyme, and the hate slowly lost its grip. My friend though how fortunate she was that her daughter was not hurt, and how her husband had held to her, despite her hate for him and yearly act of sex. As her husband ran towards the car, she felt mercy towards him for the first time in years. Again the voice question ed her Christianity in the face of rooted hate. My friend knew she had to make a decision to forgive her husband. As the husband reached out for his daughter, my friend shouted out, " Forgive me, for hating you so long, and I forgive you." It took my friend ten years of hate to realize she was not living according to the Gospel of Christ that tells us to forgive continually, and to love one another as we love ourselves. With her religious moods from holy to hell her husband was turned off and refused to hear about Christianity. His rebellion against her religion, justified my friend’s hate towards him (she thought), so she was caught in a circle of hate. She cried out to God daily for help, but sank deeper in hate. My friend was so filled with hate that her petitions could not leave this earth. The Bible says we should ask for whatever we want in the name of Jesus, and we will receive it. This does not mean asking for anything then ending the prayer with the name of Jesus. No, when the Bible tells us to pray in the name of Jesus It refers to praying the same as Jesus prayed, requesting in love not in selfishness, with expectation of receiving your answer. Jesus said the Father always answered His prayers because He always did what pleased the Father. This is why most of our prayers are not answered. Another reason, we don’t receive answers to our prayers is hating blocks us from receiving the good things God wants to give us. It is not God’s fault we cannot receive His blessings. God continually shed His love on us but we are not ready to receive it until we reject all hate, and allow love and forgiveness to guide our way. My friend thanked her husband for throwing out the reading material and asked him to forgive her for being angry with him. He did not respond but at least she felt better, and was not screaming. She was so proud of her first day of not screaming in months that she went out dancing that weekend. She said a weight lifted off her shoulders, and a door of love and mercy opened. We are not to force ourselves to forgive others or try to force others to forgive us, but if unforgiveness is a part of your Christian walk you are not walking in the light Jesus gave to His followers. Go back and recommit to falling in love with God, everything else will follow. Jesus said loving God with our complete being was the first of the greatest commandments, and the second was loving your neighbor as you love yourself. When we truly get these scriptures within us, forgiveness will be as easy as swallowing baby food. What my friend experienced was nothing new. It is a truth that the Master taught. Lk. 6:36-38, forgive one another the same as the Father has forgiven us. Give and you shall receive abundantly. Those who forgive and give will profit. My friend moved her hate from the front of her heart and received some light. Only those wishing to know love can receive the freedom of love. My friend’s decision to forgive her husband was the beginning of a new relationship with God and people, as she reached out of herself to others. Situations she prayed over for years were now clear, and people she formerly pleaded for a loan began to offer her financial help. It was her attitude of forgiveness that changed others wish to be near her. Two months later her daughter’s grade went from D to B. My friend says if she had known it would be easier after forgiving she would have forgiven before. Dear friend I have heard many people say that life is easier after they stop hating. The truth is God did not change, but we changed and can now receive the good things of God. When our hearts were stony we could not hear the voice of love so we followed our own mine without the guidance of love, and hoped for the best. This accounts for most of our problems, because love draws and hate repels. There is no need to hate people, but we are justified in hating their ungodly acts. I’m not saying my friend should stay with her husband, but I am saying they need to find a middle ground because there is a child involved. Sometimes we must leave a relationship so that we can see the forest from the trees and find our path, but we should avoid separating in hate and angry, especially if there is a child involved. I would like to add that forgiveness is something that happens in the heart, so one cannot make themself forgive, but the will to forgive is a choice we make. When the issue is put before the heart, the heart will always forgive, but if the decision is taken from the mind it is not so willing to forgive, for the mind thinks from a worldly point of view, and the heart from a child point of view. This explains why we hear people say I have tried to forgive him put I just can’t. Forgiveness is activated by knowing we are forgiven, loved, and encouraged to keep going because God is our Father. I was once filled with hate, and did not want others to get near the wall of hate built around me. When a friend of mine told me about God’s love for me, I began to soften, now I cannot get enough love and my biggest joy comes from making others happy. It happened to me so it can happen to anyone. Believe me before I hated everyone and everything, and felt older, but now I am alive in love and nothing can stop me. My advise to anyone who is having problems in their lives is to start a relationship with the Father and everything else will line up. Remember the Master said we should come just as we are, and He will wipe away all our faults. Now those who truly turn to God for love will receive and pass it on, and it is just that simple; you will be blessed and bless others.