I can't believe what she said, I can't believe what he did
Oh, don't they know it's wrong, Don't they know it's wrong
Well maybe there's something I missed, But how could they treat me like this
It's wearing out my heart, The way they disregard
This is love or this is hate. We all have a choice to make!
Oh, Father won't You forgive them They don't know what they've been doin'
Oh Father, give me grace to forgive them Cause I feel like the one losin'
Well it's only the dead that can live But still I wrestle with this
To lose the pain that's mine Seventy times seven times
Cause Lord it doesn't feel right For me to turn a blind eye
Though I guess it's not that much When I think of what You've done.
This is love or this is hate. We gotta a choice to make
Why do we think that our hate's gonna break a hard heart
We're rippin' arms over wars that don't need to be fought
Cause pride wont let us lay our weapons on the ground
We build our bridges up but it's just to burn them down
We think our pain is own apologies and get them to stop
Well truth be told it doesn't matter if they're sorry or not
Cause freedom comes when we surrender to the sound
Of Your mercy and Your grace, Father, send Your angels down
That's the bottom line isn't it? We can choose to let our emotions rule and hang on to the hurts & pains that we feel we have a "right" to harbor. OR we can realize that no matter what someone else has done to us it pales in comparison to what God has had to forgive that we have done to Him! We also have to remember that if we don't forgive, He can't forgive us!
I was watching CBS Sunday morning as I got dressed for church yesterday and there was the story of Louis Zamperini, a one-time Olympian who was a POW in Japan during WWII. The story was of torture and sadism by the guards, and the toll those years took on Zamperini's life. He ended up a broken alcoholic until as a last-ditch effort to save him his wife took him to a Billy Graham crusade. Louis couldn't resist the call and gave his heart, as well as his broken spirit and bitterness, to God. The story ends with his return to Japan and a face to face meeting with his former captors where he offers unconditional forgiveness, much as Corrie Ten Boom did with her German guards. When asked how he could do such a thing, he responded..."God finally helped me realize that until I released them I would never truly be free. It's only through forgiveness, whether they receive it or deserve it, that I can break my own bonds and be free of them once and for all. Unforgiveness doesn't hurt them, but it keeps me from letting the past go! It was time; in fact it was past time!"
Like Louis and Corrie, & like the song says we all have the choice to make. We can choose love or hate...but be seriously deliberate about which you choose because the consequences of your choice have a powerful effect, both in this life and eternally!
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