Teach Your Children to Follow Forgiveness Instead of Their Emotions

How do you respond when someone hurts your feelings? Do you let it rob you of joy? Or maybe your emotions run wild? Luke 6:27-28 NIV tells us what we should do when people hurt us: But I tell you who hears me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Can you believe that? We’re to pray something like, “Oh, Lord, I pray that You’d just make them so happy!” Luke 6:35 NIV goes further. It says: But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

 

A Tip for Following Forgiveness:

Now, let’s get practical about how to do this. If we have a co-worker who gets the promotion that we’ve been believing God for, the minute we start to feel jealousy and envy, we need to go buy them a gift.

 

Yes, you heard me right: buy them a gift. It works. When we do it, it breaks the power of the devil because Romans 12:21 says that we overcome evil with good. It’s absolutely true. When we can look at people who’ve hurt us with compassion and pray what Jesus prayed “…Father, forgive them for they know not what they do,” there’s a party that goes on inside of us.

 

In fact, what does God say will happen to us when we obey His word? Luke 6:35 states.. and then you recompense(your reward) will be great. God tells us that we’ll receive a reward. We will get double for our trouble if we do things His way. Now, I believe choosing forgiveness is one of the most difficult things God asks us to do but it is worth it in the end.

Until Next time, Happy Parenting!