Forgiveness is unlocking the door to set someone free and realizing you were the prisoner! — Max Lucado
You don’t have to be sentenced to FCI Cumberland to be a prisoner. All that is necessary is to hold a grudge, carry anger beyond the moment, go to bed without saying, “I’m sorry,” or let a wrong stick in your craw. My daughter brought this home to me once when she cried out, “When are we going to get those people out of our lives, and start living again.” When I was on sabbatical I knew so many prisoners, not just in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense. They simply couldn’t let go of the past, no matter how I encouraged them to do so, especially when it came to forgiving themselves.
When you meet someone who has self-reported themselves to a self created prison, take a moment to tell them that the keys to unlocking their cell aren’t worn on someone else’s belt. The keys to freedom are right in their back pocket. Encourage them to savor the present, no matter how difficult it might seem, and imagine what is to come.
What “is to come” is when the door flies open, God will be there to greet you with open and loving arms.
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