Hanging on to unforgiveness creates in us the necessity to build and maintain a facade.
Jesus wants us to be totally honest, transparent, believable and consistent. He wants the transformation of our inner being to be so complete that what we show to others is who we truly are. We must be willing to be washed clean inside and out. Otherwise, we are but a superficial reflection of God's love, filled with impurity behind our facade.
Whenever we remain unforgiving, we become like the Pharisees who demanded compliance with the letter of the law, yet held intolerance and self-righteousness within their hearts.
Luke 11:39-40 ESV And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. (40) You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?
Both in action and in attitude we must be transparent, allowing God's love and grace to permeate our entire being. Purity within and without invites others to know us without reservation. Unforgiveness lodged in our heart creates a false, fleshly protective wall that separates who we really are from the image we project to the world.
♦ We don't want people to know our innermost thoughts and motivations so we erect barriers to keep others from getting too close
♦ We don't invite others into fellowship with us for fear they'll see the truth of our family life.
♦ We avoid telling stories on ourselves because we have to maintain an image of having it all together.
♦ We are afraid to go to a counselor because we know we will be confronted and have to deal with issues that may be painful.
♦ We can't risk or be spontaneous because we have a need to keep everything under control.
♦ We can't adventure because we're insecure if asked to move outside our comfort zone and risk things we aren't sure will work.
♦ We don't trust others to love and accept us if they really knew who we are.
Building facades such as these to protect our unforgivenesses means that we are living a lie. That puts a terrific amount of stress on us--stress which will eventually take its tole in alienation from others and from God, breaking the unity of the kingdom. We must not use the security of our own salvation experience to excuse that part of us which remains unregenerate.
John 4:19-20 ESV The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. (20) Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship."
1 John 1:6-7 ESV If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
If you're blessed by what's been written here please purchase Choosing Forgiveness by John & Paula Sandford and Lee Bowman
