The Power of Forgiveness
Struggling to forgive someone who deeply wounded you? In this episode, discover how releasing bitterness frees you, not them, and why forgiveness is possible because Christ first forgave you.
Struggling to forgive someone who deeply wounded you? In this episode, discover how releasing bitterness frees you, not them, and why forgiveness is possible because Christ first forgave you.
Have you ever held onto a grudge so long it started to feel like part of you?
The hurt was real. The offense was unjust. And the idea of forgiving feels like letting them off the hook. So you replay it, rehearse it, and carry the bitterness day after day. But over time, that unforgiveness doesn't punish them; it poisons you. It steals your peace, strains your relationships, and keeps you chained to a moment you can't change.
In this episode, we look at the stunning story of Eva Mozes Kor, a Holocaust survivor who endured unimaginable horror at Auschwitz as a child. For decades, she carried the weight of trauma, rage, and bitterness toward the Nazis who murdered her family and tortured her in medical experiments. Then in 1995, she did something that shocked the world: she publicly forgave them. Not because they deserved it, but because she refused to let hatred own her soul any longer. She said, "Anger and hatred are seeds that eat the soul of the person who carries them."
Through her story and Colossians 3:13, you'll see that forgiveness isn't about excusing sin or pretending it didn't happen. It's about releasing the debt and handing the offender to God. It's about your freedom, not their exoneration. And it's possible because Christ forgave you first.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why holding onto unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to get sick
- How Colossians 3:13 roots our ability to forgive in the forgiveness we've already received from Christ
- Practical steps to begin releasing someone when forgiveness feels impossible
Forgiveness won't erase what happened, but it will set you free from carrying it for the rest of your life.
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'A 10-year-old Jewish girl arrives at Auschwitz with
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her twin sister and what follows is an unimaginable horror. Eva
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Moses Kor and her sister were separated from their family and
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handed over to Dr. Joseph Mengele for cruel medical
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experiments. Most of her family was murdered in the gas chambers.
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For decades, Eva carried the weight of that trauma, the
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nightmares, the rage, and the bitterness toward the people who
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had stolen her childhood and her family. The hatred was real and
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it felt justified. After everything the Nazis had done,
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why would anyone expect her to let it go?
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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger and
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today we're talking about one of the hardest things Jesus ever
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asks us to do
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to forgive. Colossians 3: 13 says, "Make allowance for each
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other's faults and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember,
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the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." Now that's
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a tough verse to obey. Forgive anyone who offends you. Not some
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people, not the one who apologizes, Not the one who
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deserves it, but anyone. And the reason Paul gives isn't about
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the other person
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it's about us. Remember, the Lord forgave you. The measure of
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forgiveness we extend is rooted in the forgiveness we've
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received. We don't forgive because the offender earned it.
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We forgive because Christ forgave us when we hadn't earned
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it either. But let's be honest. Forgiveness doesn't come easy.
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Especially when the wound is deep. Maybe someone betrayed
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your trust. Maybe a parent wounded you in ways that still
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sting. Maybe a friend walked away or a spouse broke your
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heart. Maybe someone did something so evil, so unjust,
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that the very idea of forgiving them feels like letting them off
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the hook. Here's what I want you to understand. Forgiveness isn't
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saying that what they did was okay. It's not excusing sin or
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pretending it didn't happen. And it's not reconciliation.
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Sometimes that's not possible or even safe. a decision to release
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the debt, stop carrying the poison, to hand the offender
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over to God and let Him deal with justice. Because when you
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hold on to bitterness, you're the one it destroys. The person
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who hurt you may have moved on with their life. They may not
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even think about what they did. But you're still replaying it.
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Still fuming. And you're still wounded. Unforgiveness doesn't
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hurt them. It hurts you. Someone once said that holding on to
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unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other
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person to get sick. That's exactly what it is. The
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bitterness doesn't punish them. It poisons you. And forgiveness
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sets you free. Not them. You. That doesn't mean forgiveness is
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a one-time event. Sometimes it's a process. You forgive and then
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the anger comes back. And you have to forgive again. You
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release them to God. And then you pick the offense back up.
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And you have to release them again. That's okay. Keep
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choosing forgiveness until it sticks. And here's the key. You
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can't do it in your own strength. You need God's help. Ask Him to
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give you the grace to forgive what feels unforgivable. Ask Him
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to soften your heart. Ask Him to remind you how much you've been
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forgiven so you can extend that same mercy to others. In 1995,
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Eva made a decision that shocked the world. She publicly forgave
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the Nazis. Standing at Auschwitz with a former Nazi doctor, she
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read a declaration of forgiveness out loud. Many
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Holocaust survivors criticized her, saying she had no right to
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forgive on behalf of others. But Eva was clear: Forgiveness
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wasn't about the perpetrators. It was about her own freedom.
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She said anger and hatred are seeds that eat the soul of the
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person who carries them. Holding on to unforgiveness was like
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drinking poison and expecting the Nazis to get sick. Releasing
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them was the only way she could finally be free. Forgiveness
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isn't saying that what they did was okay. own your soul any
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longer. If Eva Moses Kor could forgive the Nazis for murdering
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her family and torturing her as a child, what unforgiveness are
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you holding on to that God is asking you to release? I'm not
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minimizing your pain. What happened to you may have been
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genuinely terrible. But as long as you hold on to the bitterness,
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it holds on to you. Forgiveness is the door to your freedom.
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Here's today's challenge. Think of one person you've been
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struggling to forgive. It might be someone who hurt you recently
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or someone from years ago whose offense you're still carrying.
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Today, take one step toward forgiveness. You might pray,
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"Lord, I don't want to forgive them, but I'm willing to be made
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willing." Help me release this person to you. I trust you with
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justice. Set me free from this bitterness. Now, you may need to
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pray that prayer every day for a while, and that's okay.
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Forgiveness is often a journey, not a single moment, but every
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step towards releasing them is a step toward your own freedom.
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Forgiveness is hard. Forgiveness is hard. Some of us are carrying
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wounds so deep we don't know how to let go, but you forgave us
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when we didn't deserve it. Help us to extend that same grace to
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others and give us the strength to release those who have hurt
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us.
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remind us that forgiveness isn't about them,
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we won't let us in Jesus' name. Amen. If you're walking through
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a season where forgiveness feels impossible and you need prayer,
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I'd love to lift you up.
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Thanks for joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.
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Remember, holding on to unforgiveness is like drinking
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poison and expecting the other person to get sick. Freedom
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comes when you release them, not because they deserve it, but
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because Christ first forgave you. Stay tuned for some time for
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more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth.
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Until then, God bless and have a great day.
