Overflowing

My sin not in part but the whole / is nailed to the cross / and I bare it no more / Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord oh my soul ~ "It Is Well" Horatio G. Spafford

They say that labor pains are the worst pain a woman can feel, but as soon as she holds her newborn baby in her arms, she forgets all the pain.  Forgiveness has that same effect.  The act of forgiveness is the most precious gift we can give...to ourselves.  It stops toxins from forming in our hearts, minds, and bodies because the root of bitterness is gone from our lives.  I'd both heard and seen my pastor walk someone through forgiveness, wholehearted forgiveness, but it's quite different when you walk through it yourself.  Nothing prepares you for the process, but there's also nothing other than possibly the labor experience to compare the after effects to.  Once you've let the offenses go and have been filled up with love, deep, unconditional Father God love, the pain of the sin that was committed against you and the pain of letting it go are so faint that you hardly remember they existed.  I can honestly say that I'm so filled with joy and such a deep understanding of my Daddy's love for me that anything that happened before this is just a shadow.

Thank you God for being so faithful, for not giving up on me, and most importantly, thank you for showering me with this amazing love that I always longed for but never really realized existed.  Thank you for being my Daddy.  Thank you for drawing me near. I love you!

For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. ~ Matthew 12:34