Greater Strength

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothes yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

-Colossians 3:12-14

How does forgiveness flow freely from our chest? Out of our heart, granting pardon to another, when our heart has burned in hurt and felt the fire of betrayal?

It is an otherworldly acceptance, because in my human flesh, wounds run raw and red. Dig deep within my skin, carve their place in memories left to fester and remind me of the lance that pierced my underside.

 My emotion winds too close to the truth, entanglement tying into my heart, harbors pride that springs up to cover up my crumbling. I cannot let it go, what they have done. Not on my own weakness.

Compassion. Kindness. Humility. Goodness. All a fight against my natural state of being. This must be where You step holy, spread Your blood across the space and remind me why I should loosen the hold I have on human grievances. How to forgive, one word with wide implication, how I should offer with grace received first from You. I am worse with my transgressions. By Your example, bind me with love to reach and touch the heart that carries weight of what it’s done. Help me hold out a hand of healing to cover shaking limbs and lungs together, extend relief I would want for myself. To be intimate with the bruises, bumped egos, shaky souls. Bound by love, lifted by light, lift of heart and acknowledgement of greater strength than we possess.

To forgive is to gulp down Your compassion and bring about a better understanding of how much it costs to exchange flesh for spirit, rise above the rumbling, come away into the clear and look into eyes smiling at the change, the gift.