Tag Archives: forgiveness

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The unconditional truth about love

No Conditions Attached

An eye for an eye.

It feels like it’s been built into the fabric of our being. When things aren’t equal and balanced, an internal sensor alerts us that we are giving too much and receiving little in return. The trouble with condition-based living is that we serve a no-conditions God.

Our pride or our past might have us stuck believing we have to earn grace and good standing with God. We might feel like we have to justify His mercy with merits and good works.

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”(Hebrews 10:16-17 ESV)

Here is an unconditional Truth we must reconcile within our hearts:

God sacrificed his son, Jesus, on the cross to pardon our sins. He didn’t wait for us to jump through hoops or hold us accountable to conditions before He wiped our slate of transgressions clean.

No conditions attachedOur gracious God gave His Son, and then He gave some more. When we accept this kind of lavish love from a giving God, we don’t have to strain to be perfect or cringe at perceived conditions. When we accept what Jesus has done for us, we are free to allow others to be who they were created to be. No conditions attached.

Often our relationships on earth are a direct reflection of our relationship with God. Let’s examine our hearts for a conditions-based mindset with others. Are there any activities or groups you’re a part of because you feel it’s earning you more salvation points with God?

Father, I admit sometimes I try to earn my salvation and favorable circumstances with my giving and good works. I confess that I even treat others with this same condition-based logic. Realign my mind and heart with Your truth, God. Help me accept that You gave once and for all without conditions so I can be fully who You’ve called me to be. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

© 2020 by Trisha Keehn. All rights reserved.

First Published on Beloved Women

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Love Leads With Forgiveness

From what I could see, the situation didn’t seem fair. The longer I stewed over the details, the more animosity and frustration grew. Deep down, I knew I needed to forgive, but self-preservation and the fear of being taken advantage of were resisting the right thing to do. “Help me, Jesus,” I cried.

Just the name of Jesus reminds us of all the right things to do.

‘And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.’ (Luke 23:34 ESV)

love forgivesWhen Jesus was hurt or taken advantage of, He led with forgiveness. Even in his death, Jesus put forgiveness first.

The flesh has a tendency to lead relationships with our eyes and emotions, but the love of our Savior leads His relationships with forgiveness. Jesus trusted God for the deeper spiritual work in the offender and the offended. He didn’t need to control or coerce people with explanations. Jesus let his love lead with forgiveness and let God be God.

If we say we believe Jesus’ way of life is the only way to live, but yet we cannot find forgiveness for the relationships that have wronged us, do we really believe His way is the best way?

To love like Jesus, we must begin at the cross of our rights and forgiveness.

Where do you need to stretch to forgive someone who has hurt you? How quickly does it take you to forgive a relationship that has offended you? What would life look like if you led with forgiveness instead of the flesh?

Here’s a place to start in prayer: Father God, when we think about how great Your love is for us, we think about how much You have forgiven us. Jesus, when we think about how deep and wide and vast Your love is for us, we see the cross and Your sacrifice on the cross to cover our sins in forgiveness. Help us, God, to love like You do and lead our relationships with forgiveness because we believe Your way is the only way to love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

© 2020 by Trisha Keehn. All rights reserved.

First Published on Beloved Women

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What would your second chance look like?

second chance, change, jonah

Today is a second chance.

While you can’t change the past, you can change the present.

The crushing convictions you may have experienced in the aftermath of your past are not lost. That burden of conviction on your heart is a guilt between you and God, and He is a God of second chances; it’s called today.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message I tell you.” So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. – Jonah 3:1-3 ESV

second chance, change, jonahToday is your second chance.

You can change how you respond to frustration. You can set new boundaries and protect what you have left. You can get help. You can walk away from that addiction. You can honor your loved ones by putting new priorities in place.

There’s still time to pick up the phone, text, reach out, show up. Perhaps for you it’s not picking up more but putting down what you already have; the pain, the blame, the worry.

Conviction is between you and God, the Author and Creator of your soul. He uses this kind of remorse and guilt on your conscious to change the course of your days ahead. He’s guiding you with a hand on your heart to steer your steps into more blessings, more favor, higher places with more responsibility.

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. – Luke 16:10 NLT

Your Father will not give you more work or more burden than you can bear. He gives you and I a choice every day as He waits for change to reveal your growth, your strength, your resilience.

There is no shame changing who you used to be into the person you want to be, the person you know you can be.

Here is an opportunity to respect failed attempts yesterday by taking the second chance to change today.

If you don’t know how to begin again, a good place to start is with “I’m sorry.”

The past carries casualties of our ignored convictions. May your present be the change God is calling you to be.

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Grace Was Meant For Us

grace, love of God, Jesus gave us graceWe celebrate Love today. Love that woke you up this morning even after…
 
Some of you are still standing at the cross with your hands full of shame; the enemy has you holding onto the pain of your wretchedness. It was really bad what you said, what you did.
 
But Love. Love reached down from the Heavens and asked for everything in your hands and said, ‘it is covered’.
 
The enemy’s primary weapon against you is shame. If he can get you to walk in shame, you won’t come to the altar and ask God for forgiveness. Accepting the high gift of grace draws you closer to the Father and that’s exactly what the devil doesn’t want you to do. The enemy wants you walking around expecting punishment.
 
Here’s what I want you to know: Jesus already went to the cross for that. You can come boldly to His throne with the tears and the pain and leave it there and He’ll be glad you came. His love and grace was meant for you and me.
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How to get through the holidays

We’re still a couple days away from Christmas and I have yet to board a plane to be with family, yet somehow we’ve already found the short fuses and tension stretching patience with each other.

Can you relate?

forgiveness, love, love because that's who you areThe problems may have nothing to do with you except that you’re within proximity of the resentful responses and it’s pulling on your patience to stay present with people like this.

I’m paddling in this boat with you, my friend.

The enemy just needs to get us wrapped up in anger and bitterness to steal the show from what this holiday is all about. He wants you to be a bitter soul behind a beautiful face, crippled by the offenses this Christmas.

Maybe you’re coming to the table feeling resentment because your family could never completely understand how your own rejections feel. Yours are seemingly impossible to forgive.

Unforgiveness is the devil’s design to keep you bruised and bleeding and long-term angry. He can use even the lightest offense to do it. You’re not the victim of offense. You’ve been targeted by the devil with anger and he’s been strategizing how to suck all the power out of your life.

Forgive. Because what you have now is not freedom but bitterness. Your forgiveness doesn’t benefit the other person… it’s for you to feel whole and complete. Genuine freedom is waiting for you on the other side of forgiveness. Release your friends, your family… and the ticket agent juggling ten jobs to get you home for Christmas.

My prayer is for God to pull out all the stops and give you the strength to release others from what they owe you. May the Lord shift your thinking from the same old broken roads to a path of peace with each other and focus on the purpose of coming together. ‪#‎fervent‬

Don’t let the people you love determine how you’re going to love.

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34 lessons I’ve learned over the years

marking my 34th birthday

In 34 years, here’s what I’ve learned…

  1. Love is the answer; being right rarely is.
  2. We spend way too much time in the work of crafting ourselves, and far too little time just being ourselves.
  3. The greatest adventures come from wrong turns, so don’t let fear stop you.
  4. Discipline is important to achieving dreams. Grace is even more important.
  5. You can start over whenever you decide to.
  6. Your childhood gives you character but it doesn’t control who you become.
  7. Worrying about something that might happen is wasted energy.
  8. If you want to be successful, surround yourself with successful people.
  9. Success is not defined by status, money, education, career or another person but by the peace in your heart.
  10. Money doesn’t give you character. Failure does.
  11. When someone shows their true colors, don’t try to repaint them.
  12. Anger isn’t nearly as impressive as patience. Nor is it as effective.
  13. Listen more and talk less.
  14. Boyfriends and husbands are lovely. Close girlfriends are gold.
  15. You have to go home with your heart, so love freely but keep the key.love, answer, trishakeehn.com, life lessons, 30's lessons, love is the answer,
  16. Vulnerability is the strength that separates the strong from the weak.
  17. Everyone has a story. Make time for the adventure.
  18. The more mistakes you make the more you learn. Take risks.
  19. Dimming your light to make others feel more comfortable doesn’t serve you. Or them.
  20. Go neither right nor left at the fork. Go right up the middle. Choose the narrow path. Take someone with you.
  21. After thinking I would never fall in love again, I did.
  22. No one has it all together. Forgive people. Even your exes. They’re just winging it, too.
  23. There’s not just one person for you. Love takes a commitment. If you’re both willing, you can make a relationship work. Soul mates are made over time.
  24. Another person will never complete you. Only you can do that.
  25. If you’re not happy with yourself, you’ll never be happy in a relationship.
  26. No amount of designer handbags or shoes is going to make you happy in the long run. The same goes for chocolate chip cookies.
  27. The way people treat you is probably more about them, not you.
  28. Boundaries are about self-preservation, not about alienation.
  29. Black and white is an illusion. Life is gray.
  30. Help out someone less fortunate for the joy of doing it. Then keep it to yourself.
  31. Small minds focus on problems. Big thinkers focus on solutions.
  32. Working hard doesn’t mean working smart.
  33. Failure only happens to quitters.
  34. Believe everyone has good intentions… even God.


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Love By Faith

The difficult part of praying for a life that mirrors Christ’s love, is that we are faced to love when we don’t want to, when we don’t feel like it, when we get nothing obvious in return, when they don’t deserve it, when they’re not worth it, when they don’t know it and even when it makes no difference. Yet, we live it out anyways.

For the last few months now, I have been convicted of Christ’s love as I pray to share more of it. There is someone who deeply and ruthlessly betrayed me over the course of three years. In wisdom, every counselor and mentor advised strict boundaries to stay away from the toxicity and ‘unsafe’ person. I forgave their actions and prayed for healing and restoration in their lives. A few months later, I moved states away. But the harassment and hurting continued until one day, this person also moved to my new city and stepped into my circle of friends. I became so distraught by the turmoil of pain and alone in my struggle. It seemed no matter how I tried to ‘brush off the dirt’ and walk away from the past, God’s love was pressing in deeper, asking me not to walk away from people. With nowhere else to turn, I began praying for a desire to deeply love them and God’s power to walk in it. I felt everything in me die as I invited Jesus to do the impossible; to help me love the ‘unlovable’.

As the weeks passed, I continued praying through the pain until that day came; when Jesus carried me in courage, strength and favor. The love of Christ consumed me as I sought out and embraced this person. And only in His power, my heart was able to walk out a love that desired to willingly serve. Instantly, I experienced insurmountable JOY and FREEDOM that I cannot adequately describe.

I think we find loving so painful because we try to love with our own emotions and our eyes fail us when love doesn’t bring about the exact results we want and asked for. But we are called to love by faith. Love our enemies by faith. Love our betrayers by faith. Love a bitter parent by faith… not a feeling. Living love is a daily commitment to throw off preferential affections. We live by faith. We love by faith. If we truly become a person who makes a lifestyle of believing God, we will become bolder in our love for others and what we’re willing to believe God for in their lives.

Walking in love doesn’t always feel warm fuzzy. Sometimes our only motivation is obedience to God. If no one else catches the love we sacrificially give, know that God will.

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5

Oh my Lord, the things you bring us through astounds my eyes. You are faithful to deliver us from the stronghold of bitterness and hatred, so that our hearts may experience the freedom and joy you authored in this life! May the fruit of Christ’s love within us surface in our words and walk today. We come yielded to your authority, may we be so filled by your Spirit, Lord. Guide us to those relationships we still harbor grief in. God, give us the strength to walk out your unfailing love. Help us to actively love others and pray those big prayers for them. You were faithful yesterday and you will be faithful today. We trust you for more faithfulness in our future. May we love by this same faith.

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The Score Has Been Settled

Bad things happen to good people. That’s all there is to it. I don’t know why God allows the enemy to do some of the horrific things he does. It could be to stretch or increase our faith, love, or call us back to Him… the possibilities are endless. We have to remember that faith will always require us to accept unanswered questions, and we must come to the place where we’re satisfied to know the One who knows and place our trust in Him.

James 1:17. Everything good comes from God. God is good, and He cannot be anything else. Furthermore, He isn’t one way one time and another way another time. He doesn’t change. He is good, and that’s the way He is.

When we experience terrible tragedy, being angry with God is quite common. People frequently ask, “If God is good, all-powerful, and full of love for us, why didn’t He stop the thing that caused the pain?” And honestly, this is where Satan seeks to build a wall between God and the hurting person. The devil seizes the opportunity to say, “God isn’t good, and He can’t be trusted.” However, we know according to the Word of God, the truth is not in Satan, he is a liar and deceiver.

If someone has hurt you, don’t spend the next ten years of your life hurting yourself by hanging on to that offense. Most likely, the other person isn’t even thinking about you, while you dwell on the incident for years. That only hurts one person, you. When we walk in unforgiveness, we’re essentially “keeping score,” viewing ourselves as better than the other person. There’s a place it all goes in our minds and hearts that eats away at our love. Every new thing they do ‘wrong’ gets added to this list, and grows until it becomes a bitter giant consuming the heart.

When we walk in God’s love, we find freedom by keeping “no account” of wrongs done to us. If you’re hurting from the pain, ask Jesus to help heal you and let go of the bitterness, knowing God has already settled the score with Satan. If you claim Him as your Almighty God, you can claim the victory that’s found in Jesus over the sin that plagues this world we live in.

God, I don’t want to keep score anymore and let my unforgiveness hurt me. I release it to You and claim your healing over this burdened heart. I ask You to help me walk in Your love, which keeps “no account of the evil done to it.” God, I may not always understand why bad things happen, but I know that You are good. When I don’t understand why, I will find my comfort in You.