Come Unto Me

Jesus said, "Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."
-Matthew 11:28 (NRSV)

FRESH out of a broken marriage, I was drinking and carousing, thinking I was socializing when in reality all I was doing was hiding from my pain. I was an angry man who felt betrayed and couldn't trust anyone. Wives and girlfriends and even my male friends had lied, cheated, or taken advantage of me in one way or another. I was angry at the world, and every time I was around other people I felt as if I had an open wound.

Soon I discovered, however, that my anger was harming me more than them. I knew I had to do something to rid myself of this hostility because it was making me not only friendless but also a paranoid, shallow person. One day a small, inner voice spoke clearly to me: "Forgive them." I thought about those words all day long. That night I prayed, asking God to help me forgive everyone who had hurt me. When I prayed this prayer, a huge burden was lifted from my heart.

Today I am a born-again believer, and with Christ's help I will never again be burdened with the inability to forgive. I pray that this message will find its way to someone who is having difficulty forgiving others. Jesus Christ offers to help us lay down that burden.


Prayer
O God, help us to realize that we need forgiveness as much as we need to forgive. In Jesus' name. Amen.



From: UpperRoom Devotionals - Charles H. Greever