FOCUS:  Forgiveness can heal a wounded heart.

THE POINT:  The ability to forgive can help you overcome other issues like anger, self-loathing, and apathy toward God and others.

THE TRUTH:  

Get along with each-other and forgive each-other.  If someone does wrong to you, forgive that person because the Lord forgave you.  Do all these things, but most important, love each-other.  Love is what holds you all together…  - Colossians 3:15-16, NCV

All of us carry baggage through life.  We all have “issues”.  Some of our issues are created by stuff that others have done to us, but some of them are self-inflicted.  Our issues cause us to battle things like eating disorders, substance abuse, a general dislike of other people, an inability to keep friends and relate to people our own age, a strong dislike for ourselves, and a host of other things.  Often we hate the behavior and the attitudes that we know are destructive, but we can’t figure out why we do it or why we feel a certain way.  Think of an apple.  Where do they come from?  Yes, that’s right, they grow on trees.  You are smarter than the average teen-ager! We give credit to the tree for the apple, but what keeps the tree standing and healthy?  The roots, of course.  You paid attention to your science.  The root system of a tree is much larger than the tree itself.  It supplies the tree with nutrients, gives the tree stability, and is ultimately responsible for the apple. 

Now, think of the apple as the behaviors in your life that are destructive.  There is a vast underground root system in your spirit that is producing those attitudes and behaviors, and one of those roots could be bitterness and resentment that result from a lack of forgiveness.  The ability and willingness to forgive others could very well help you overcome some of the hurts in your life that keep you from becoming the man/woman that God made you to be.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

What is the most difficult thing about forgiveness?  How do you think that forgiving someone can help you with other areas of your life?