You may have read something about or heard someone describe just how you were feeling, but you just never had the words to express your emotions. This was the reaction to many women in my workshops on forgiveness. They saw their stories in the poem The Making of Unforgiveness. As they examined the poem, they uncovered its meaning and were able to make the message even more personal. I have challenged you to do the same. Perhaps you didn’t because you weren’t quite sure of my poem’s interpretation. Let me share with you what the women gained.

They understood that if you are on the defense you will expect people to offend you and allow the offense to negatively impact you. You will harbor anger toward them and not seek to reconcile with your offenders. As a result, you have deep-seated anger that turns to bitterness which deepens with every subsequent act that you tally but fail to address for reconciliation. You get used to the bitterness and believe that it somehow protects you from pain or any other attack from your offenders. The bitterness takes over your soul and threatens every relationship. This is what The Making of Unforgiveness is all about.

Do you want to live life on the defense? Do you want to be assured that you will negatively impact people? Do you want a series of broken relationships? Do you want a poisoned soul that sours your attitude and prevents you from showing love? Do you want to keep seeking illusive protection under the tree of unforgiveness? I don’t think anyone who wants a whole life would say yes to any of these questions. But when we don’t seek forgiveness we are saying yes to each. This is why choosing forgiveness is necessary. Today is a new day. Choose forgiveness. In doing so, you choose a new life, one that is guided and protected by an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-seeing God. When you choose forgiveness you choose access to the almighty God and reconciliation and peace that can only come from Him.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith