When the You Are Forgiven study book was announced, I thought it might not be a topic that really spoke to me very much. I’ve always been a “good girl,” staying out of trouble and trying to live for Christ. What did I have that was really that bad, or what had I not already confessed? But as a facilitator, I desired to continue working with my small group, and so I decided to lead the group through the You Are Forgiven book.

Week by week, the Bible passages and chapters written by the LGG team peeled back layers of un-forgiveness in my life – un-forgiveness in my own heart over wounds inflicted long ago, and areas where I needed to seek forgiveness from others. Around week 5, there were four names that came to mind. The first two were women who had wounded me back when we were classmates in elementary and high school. Broken friendships and hurtful gossip had left a root of bitterness. In working through this study, I have been able to fully forgive each woman and also release my personal desire for “justice” to God.

The second two were women whom I had treated poorly in the past – one in middle school and one in college. (Does anyone notice the theme? A major friendship conflict during each stage of schooling?) Finally, during week 7 and week 8, I made the effort to apologize for my role in the damage to our friendships.

Amazingly, EACH woman responded that she had no remembrance of my mistreatment of her or our friendship, and assured me that I was forgiven.

Praise God! And oh, how foolish I’ve been to wait so long to reconcile! I had imagined what each woman must think of me, how arrogant or unkind I had been, but in reality, they had long ago forgotten my sins against them.

Isn’t that JUST like my relationship with God? His willingness to forgive me and remove my sins from me is there, ready and waiting. Yet I imagine what He must think of me, how prideful or disobedient I am, and I fail to ask for His forgiveness. I imagine that I am not worthy to be forgiven. But His forgiveness is available to me—available through the sacrifice of His Son on the cross!

Let’s quit carrying our burdens of un-forgiveness, allowing it to stunt our growth and hinder our service.

Let’s live in the freedom we find through forgiveness. We CAN live at peace – both with other people here and now, and also with God our Father, who deserves all our praise for His compassionate mercy upon us.

Anna Kim

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Join us for our two-week Bible Study:

In Everything Give Thanks

Starting on November 7th.

Angela Perritt

Angela Perritt is the founder and director of LoveGodGreatly.com, a nonprofit online Bible study ministry reaching thousands of women in over two hundred countries around the world with God’s Word through their translated Bible studies. She and her husband live in Dallas, Texas with their three daughters. Angela is passionate about God’s Word and believes one woman in God’s Word can change a family, community and ultimately a nation. Her greatest joy is to encourage her children and others to love God greatly with their lives one day at a time. You can connect with her on Instagram.