1071) Have you ever considered the fact there are some emotions you can’t just conjure up and experience? You can’t just decide you feel that loving feeling people do when they first find their lives wrapped up in the beginning joy of a romantic relationship. Oh, wouldn’t it be nice though? What about peace? Can you just cross your arms, determined to feel at peace, on your beck and call? The answers to these two questions are obvious, but there is something many believe is a feeling; one that needs to be summoned when needed and that involves the idea of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is not an emotion; one you can demand to take and wash over your soul. If you believe it is, you will live in a constant state of feeling like a failure, in your faith, relationships and more because feelings are always in the state of change. Instead, forgiveness is a choice, whether you feel you’ve been forgiven or granted it to others or not. This simple statement can be life-changing because you now can approach this subject, knowing you have a choice, no matter what you feel.

Forgiveness is making the choice to let go of your hands around someone’s neck. It does not mean you forget why you had them there. Why forgive? Because in reality, you really don’t have your hands around the neck of the person who wronged you, you really have them around your own neck and you’re squeezing out your very own life.

In choosing to forgive those who have wronged you, you are replacing the garbage of unforgiveness with empty hands that have room for grace of forgiveness. Ephesians 4:32.