Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen

Author:Joel Osteen [OSTEEN, JOEL]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: REL012000
ISBN: 9780759512726
Publisher: FaithWords
Published: 2004-09-30T16:00:00+00:00

Forgive to Be Free

I recently watched a television program about Rudy Tomjanovich, the former coach of the Houston Rockets basketball team. The program recounted an event in 1973, when as a robust twenty-five-year-old, Rudy was playing for the Rockets. In the middle of a close game, a fight broke out at center court. Rudy rushed over there, running at full speed, to try to break it up. Just as he got there, a player whipped around and without even looking, swung as hard as he could. Unfortunately, the punch landed right in Rudy’s face. It was called the punch heard around the world. It fractured Rudy’s skull, broke his nose and cheekbones, and nearly killed him. Although Rudy was sidelined for months following the devastating blow, he eventually recovered.

One day after Rudy had recuperated, a reporter asked him, “Rudy, have you ever forgiven the player that did that to you?” Without hesitation, Rudy said immediately, “Absolutely. I’ve totally forgiven him.”

The reporter shook his head as though he was perplexed. “Come on, Rudy, that guy nearly killed you. He caused you all that pain. He stole part of your career. Do you mean to tell me that you don’t have any anger, any hatred or bitterness toward him?”

Rudy smiled. “I don’t have any at all.”

That reporter stared at him in disbelief. He finally asked, “Rudy, tell me, how’d you do it? How could you possibly forgive that man who hurt you so badly?”

Rudy replied, “I knew if I wanted to move on with my life, I had to let it go. I didn’t do it for him. I did it for me. I did it so I could be free.”

That’s good advice. You need to forgive so you can be free. Forgive so you can be happy. Forgive so you can get out of that bondage. We have to remember, when we forgive we’re not doing it just for the other person, we’re doing it for our own good. When we hold on to unforgiveness and we live with grudges in our hearts, all we’re doing is building walls of separation. We think we’re protecting ourselves, but we’re not. We are simply shutting other people out of our lives. We become isolated, alone, warped and imprisoned by our own bitterness. Those walls aren’t merely keeping people out; those walls are keeping you penned in.

Do you realize that those walls will also prevent God’s blessings from pouring into your life? Those walls can stop up the flow of God’s favor. The walls of unforgiveness will keep your prayers from being answered. They’ll keep your dreams from coming to pass. You must tear down the walls. You must forgive the people who hurt you so you can get out of prison. You’ll never be free until you do. Let go of those wrongs they’ve done to you. Get that bitterness out of your life. That’s the only way you’re going to truly be free. You will be amazed at what can happen in your life when you release all that poison.

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