Forgiveness feeds your soul just as food feeds the body. That statement and what I’m about to share with you will change the trajectory of your life.

Living with estrangement sucks the life right out of you. Triggers pound on the door of your heart out of nowhere. Emotions follow and you find yourself in a dark place. Questioning your self-worth. Wondering what others think. Spiraling downward.

What I’m about to share with you is a simple thing but it is difficult to do. It requires getting yourself out of the way and letting God transform your heart. Surrender and see what happens. Let’s roll with today’s episode.

Food for the Body

It’s just a guess, but I’ll bet you don’t forget to eat very often. Your body signals your brain when you are hungry and instinctively you know it’s time to eat. Your body requires vitamins and nutrients to keep it healthy and functioning well.

Now, if you’re like me, you are on the go frequently and find it challenging to find nutritious foods. Meal preparation is the essential key. Anticipating, planning, and prepping is all it takes to stay on a healthy diet. If it were easy, we would all do this consistently, but we know it isn’t. We get busy and life’s demands take over.

What happens when your body is deprived of necessary nutrients? You get run down and sick. It may not happen instantly, but a steady diet of junk or fast food will land you in body deprivation jail eventually.

Forgiveness is to the soul what food is to the body. When you read that in the context I’ve just described, it begins to take on new meaning. Forgiveness feeds your soul.

Think for a moment about what you eat. How much time do you invest planning ahead? How does healthy eating feed your body? What happens when you deprive your body of those nutritious vitamins and minerals?

We spend far more time feeding our body than we do our soul. Is that true for you? I can assure you it happens to me.

Forgiveness Feeds Your Soul

Shift your mindset to the food that fuels your soul. Daily devotional time with God is one way to keep your soul healthy. God’s word and prayer is like fiber rich vegetables and protein laden meals. Carving out time in your day is essential to soul health. My favorite time is early in the morning before the busyness of the day takes over.

Church, Bible studies and conversations with Christian friends are added nutrients. Faith based books are like supplements for your soul. They don’t replace the food, but it enhances the flavor. The word of God is the only full proof nutrition and hopefully you feed yourself consistently.

But – and there is always that – even feeding your soul with these things you’ll falter and cave to junk food.

These are examples of the nutrient stealing culprits that starve our soul. Think for a minute about this. You’ve just eaten a healthy meal. Salad, protein, vegetables, grains, and fruit. Your body loves you as you’ve fed your soul with great stuff.

Then hunger rolls around again in a few hours, and you feed it with chips, dip, and ice cream. You have some sugar high then low, and you feel terrible. That’s exactly what these soul robbing nibbles do to your soul.

Change your Diet and Change your Life

Forgiveness feeds your soul. It’s like the healthy diet your body consumes. When you withhold forgiveness, you starve your soul. Would you ever consider starving your body of food? Of course not. But that’s exactly what happens when you and I allow this junk food to take the place of healthy soul food.

Let’s talk about forgiveness and how it feeds your soul. With whom are you currently withholding forgiveness? I spoke with a woman recently who had issues with her mother. She doesn’t remember her, but the rejection and family issues that led to the separation lingered.

This woman lived a hard life and mostly blamed her mother for the things that occurred. It was understandable, but she couldn’t achieve the peace she so desperately sought. She simply could not or would not entertain forgiveness.

Another woman was estranged from her father. She had no idea why he left and refused to maintain any contact when she reached out. Guilt and shame plagued her as she felt unworthy and unloved. Self-confidence eroded any esteem she had, and triggers sent her on a downward spiral.

She wanted to forgive, but she felt he didn’t deserve it. I understand. I too had a father who left me as an infant and the emotional upheaval follows you as you search for a healthy identity and wonder if it is even possible.

Forgiveness feeds your soul. Isn’t it time to stop starving it and begin nurturing?

Forgiveness Feeds Your Soul and Provides Peace

Adding a little levity, would you rather nosh on Brussel sprouts or cookies? Silly analogy but ask me and I’ll take the cookies. Especially if they are peanut butter. In that vein, would you rather experience lasting peace and joy or vacillate between guilt, shame, and feelings of unworthiness?

You know the answer and I do too. The real question is, are you willing to forgive? Too often the answer is no, and peace is elusive.

What if I told you forgiveness is like eating the Brussel sprouts and the cookie? It is both satisfying to the soul and sweet to the taste. Why is it so hard to do?

Pride. You feel they don’t deserve it and so you punish the person by withholding forgiveness not realizing that you’re only starving your own soul.

A scripture that spoke strongly to me was the new command that Jesus gave just before his death. He told the disciples to love others as he had loved them. And elsewhere he says to forgive others as they had been forgiven.

Ironic isn’t it that you and I desire Jesus’ love and forgiveness, and he freely gave it to us. Yet we withhold it from others. Didn’t we hurt Jesus as much with our sin as the other person hurt us with theirs? That question lingered with me for a long time.

This Easter, would you consider allowing it to linger in your mind? Forgiveness feeds the soul and Jesus longs to see you cease starving yourself as you extend forgiveness to someone in the same way he gave it to you.

Until next time, I’m sending you God’s blessings this Easter and hoping that you’ll choose to offer forgiveness and feed your soul.

TOPIC: Podcast