Teen Girl Bible Study/Chat Group (STILL OPEN, ANYONE CAN JOIN!)

Week 2: Forgiveness

Please watch the video above. If you have trouble with it playing, it can be found on YouTube at Signs of Forgiveness.

This is my first devotional I've ever done. I'm really sorry if it's terrible, just be patient, I'll get better (hopefully)! Also, it won't be as long as last week's because I'm running behind. :) Enjoy!

I published this early because I wasn't sure if I was going to be here on time to publish it. It will still happen at 4 CST, don't worry.
I would've tagged everyone but I had to go I'm sorry!

Hey everyone! It's Jamie (Jamisters) ready for week 2! How did everyone like last week's lesson? Did anyone think back to it during their week and remember to be kind? If so, awesome! Well, this weeks lesson is about forgiveness. I really hope you like it! Before we dive in, I have some things to remind you of...

~Feel free to share anything. Stories, comments, random stuff, go ahead! We'll respond. Also, please feel free to respond to other user comments!

~BE KIND! Any hate or bulling WILL BE DELETED and the user will be blocked/reported.

~Have fun! Interact with others! That's what this is all about!

Okay, let's get started!

If you haven't already, please watch the video above. Now, I know what you're thinking, "Yeah, I know we're supposed to forgive, but for that bad of stuff?? That's a bit insane..." Yeah, I know, that was my first reaction as well. BUT, that's what God calls on us to do. To turn the other cheek, because fighting evil with evil accomplishes nothing, but fighting evil with good makes change.

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." -Matthew 6:14-15

This verse shows us that The Lord will forgive us of our sins if we forgive others of their sins. I know, that can be really hard. Especially when we live in a world full of hate, bulling, harassment, rape, murder, and so much more. We all hold grudges, from the smallest things to the biggest things, we all find it hard to forget something that someone's done to us. I remember once, way back in second grade, I was standing in my classroom with one of my friends. I don't even remember what we were talking about, but all I remember her saying was "I don't know Jamie, you should dye your hair brown. It looks kind of ugly red." I almost started crying, it hurt me a lot. For the next few years I felt really bad about myself and my red hair. I have now come to realize how awesome and rare my hair is, but I still can't even look at her without feeling angry inside.

I've just recently come to realize that this incident happened many, many years ago. She probably doesn't even remember it! Why am I still mad at her for saying something so many years ago, that she now has no idea she ever said? I've forgiven her now, she still has no idea it effected me so much.

The point is, humans hold grudges, it's just in our nature. But what God tells us to do is to forgive those who have done us wrong. Pray for them, love them.

God has forgiven you, and you are thankful for that. Why can't we do the same for others? If we forgive those who have done us wrong, they will be thankful for your kindness. It then starts a chain, kind of what we talked about last week, of kindness. Now, if they don't realize they have done wrong (like in my case) it's just as important to forgive them. It's important to know that they have no idea they hurt you. In that situation, you can either forgive and forget, or confront them and discuss the problem.

Now, here's the hard part. Forgiving BIG things, like those in the video above. When someone bullies, they're looking to get something out of you. Whether that's attention or just you giving in and fighting them. They often have an alternate reason for why they hurt others, and it usually doesn't have anything to do with the person. What The Lord wants us to do is not to give in. He wants us to love them and pray for them. Turn the other cheek, kill em' with kindness. This not only makes God happy, but it doesn't give the bully what they want and gives them a reason to stop. More issues covered in the video were abuse, hate, rape, and even murder. Those things can be super, super hard to forgive, it actually sounds impossible in most cases. We have to remember that The Lord forgives us for EVERYTHING. We abuse his love and sometimes hate him. After all of that, he still forgives us. However, forgive does not mean forget. God still remembers our sins, he just doesn't hold them against us. It's impossible to forget the actions of another, but we cannot hold them against them in future dealings with them.

Sorry this lesson was so short, I'd love to write more but I'm about to leave for vacation. On that note, I wanted to let you all know that I won't be able to attend next week, but ImDaFanficQueen will! She'll be leading your lesson by herself.

Before I leave you, I'd like to ask you a few questions...

• How did you like this lesson? What can we do to improve?

• Do you have a grudge you've been holding for a while? Do you now feel like you'll be able to let it go?

• Did you enjoy the video? Should we continue to have videos at the beginning of our lessons?

• Do you have any questions for us?

• Do you now feel more strong in your will to forgive?

I hope you enjoyed this lesson! Thanks for attending, see you next week!