Billable Me!

Attorneys have something called billable hours. It’s where you pay them by the hour, and they build a case and just bill it hour after hour. They will let you talk about anything because it billable. Then you look at the bill and you go, “Wow!”

Unforgiveness is the same thing, when people hurt us. We have these billable hours and we’re just building a case against our ex, our former best friend, or that person that totally just messed me around in the business deal. We build the case, and we tell our friends about it. “Wah, wah, wah. Wah, wah, wah. Wah, wah, wah.” And the currency that we pay for the billable hours is an emotional currency. It zaps our energy. It keeps us strapped to unforgiveness, and it messes us up because unforgiveness it’s unforgiving.

You see, this whole unforgiveness thing is difficult because we like to hold onto it. It’s fun. It gives us the rush, a buzz. God says, though, “I want you by my power and my grace to do something that swims against the current of your instincts, that flies in the face of everything you want to do naturally.” Unleashing unforgiveness is unnatural and there are certain barriers that keep us linked up to unforgiveness.

THE SELF-DECEPTION BARRIER

We just say, “You know, what I did to that person is no big deal. Man, they totally overreacted. They’re an emotional basket case, anyway. It wasn’t that big of a deal. It was a long time ago.” Or we say, “What my mother did to me…? Yes, she was an alcoholic, but it didn’t really affect me, you know. I’ve just brushed that under the rug. I’ve swept it under the rug. It doesn’t affect me. Yeah, what that coach, what that teacher said to me during my childhood and stuff…? The stuff that happened doesn’t really affect me today. I mean, I’m telling you it doesn’t. Everything’s fine in my life. I’m fine.” Be very careful. That’s a barrier.

THE SELF-DEFENSE BARRIER

This is the one that we love, it’s probably our favorite one. We say, “I’m going to get you back. You messed me around. You hurt me. I’m going to get you back.” Have you ever stopped to realize this? Forgiveness is a great act of faith, because what we’re doing when we say, “Debt canceled. I forgive you. I release you..” What we’re doing is we’re saying, “God, you are the ultimate judge. God, I give the situation to you. You are going to take care of this person better than I can. God, I trust you.”

That’s why

(Romans 12:19) “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

THE SELF-IMAGE BARRIER

This one we say, “Hey, if you think I’m going to admit that I was wrong or I’m going to admit that they messed me around you’re wrong. I mean I’m up here and I’d have to lower myself. They might think less of me and they might think this or that about me.” Let me tell you something. We are at our strongest when we admit the obvious to God and to others. We are in a great position of strength and influence when we say, “Debt canceled. I forgive.”

THE SELF-PROTECTION BARRIER

The last barrier to unforgiveness is the protection barrier. “I’m just going to protect myself,” you’re saying to yourself right now. And a lot of you are breaking out into a cold sweat just thinking about having to do the forgiveness work that needs to be done. You get nervous thinking about sitting across the table from someone who’s harmed you or maybe you’ve harmed them or sitting in someone’s family room and saying, “I was wrong. Will you forgive me?” Talking to a spouse or a child or anyone else just messes with your mind. Don’t let it be so.

I know unleashing unforgiveness is unnatural. I know that. God, though, wants to do the work. God wants to release all of us so we can discover the totality and the freedom and the joy and this all comprehensive love that he has for all of us.

I’m going to ask you to do something. I’m going to ask you to take your hands right now and just make a fist and bow your heads for a moment. I’ve found it vital to do some things physically as just signs, as reminders to myself and as signs to God that I’m doing this stuff. So I want your clenched fist to represent something you’re holding on to. What kind of unforgiveness are you holding on to? What kind of resentment, what kind of anger are you dealing with? You know what the word “forgive” in the Bible means? “To release.” It means “to hurl.” Not to throw up, but to let go. Do you know what the word resentment means? It means to think again. And so many of us are thinking again and again and again about the person or persons who have hurt us. It could be someone you’ll see tomorrow morning at work. It could be, again, a family member. It could be someone who passed away a long time ago.

Right now, as just a physical sign to ourselves and to God, let’s just unclench our fists and say, “God, I forgive them. I release them. Debt canceled.” And by saying this, just say this, “God, I’m not minimizing what’s happened. I’m not minimizing it. I’m just doing what you want me to do so I can discover the best that you have for me. Because, God, you have an awesome agenda that you want to lead me through, and I know the only way to do it is by living a life of forgiveness. God, unleashing unforgiveness is unnatural, but because of your power, I know it’s supernatural and I just open up my hands to you.” Just do that physically. Say, “God, I let go. God, I let go. God, I let go.”