Autumn Asks: Is Being Unforgiving the Same Thing as Not Loving?

For if you forgive men their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if you don't forgive men their sins, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.


I don't know.

My New Year's Resolution this year is simply Love More. This keeps coming up all over the board game I call Life. Right now one of the Bible studies I am in just finished concentrating a whole week on Love. It was a quiet week for me (verbally) as I processed this information and God did his work.

I don't think I have an unforgiveness problem. It's actually easy to forgive. The hurt is done, the anger subsides, I forgive and confess. I purge the person from my system 200%.

I am not angry. I don't require, wish for or think of retribution. I don't stew. I don't care (and many times don't even remember) what they did anymore.

I have handed over the hurt (yes, I actually visualize myself crumpling up the hurt like a piece of paper and placing it in God's hands) and I erase it.

What I have come to realize is that although I have forgiven...I have also completely withdrawn any and all love. They literally don't exist. I don't wonder how they are doing. I don't pray for them hardly ever. Rarely do I think of them of my own accord.

I've dropped them off the face of the earth.

So while the incident is forgotten...so is the person.

Total lack of love. Absence of love.

And Jesus says love.

I'm thinking that the lack of love is every bit as bad as being unforgiving. Maybe its just the opposite side of the same coin even?

Things that make you go hmmmm.....