By withholding blessing from those who have hurt us, we are essentially saying we want to hold some power over the outcome of the situation, or process, of the person(s) life we are withholding blessing from.
We are saying, "We don't trust you, God, in Your ability to bring about good for this person, bring them to repentance, and still get justice and healing for me." This is a paupers mindset because it stems from the belief that there isn't enough power, love, grace, etc. in the heart of God to make all the wrong things right. So we withhold blessing as our "contribution" to the process in order to see to it that we are satisfied with what we think should be the outcome.
However, if we understand blessing and the heart of God, we would never withhold blessing; For it is the very thing that avails their life and ours to the glory of kindness which brings repentance, forgiveness which brings freedom, and love which brings justice. It is one of the very things that releases God's best over their lives and ours.
We must gain a proper perspective regarding blessing those who have wronged us. Blessing means going inside the wisdom and love of God to understand and partner with all the rightness and justice and goodness of His heart; For all parties involved!
Blessing, like forgiveness, has nothing to do with approval of actions or permission to hold a place in your life again. It has everything to do with love that runs deeper than any wrongdoing, any hurt, any betrayal. His love is deeper than the deepest wound, and His love lives in us.
So, bless those that have wounded you, betrayed you, and hated you. Love them with the everlasting love of The Great King that courses through your veins and brings justice and healing. It is precisely by this letting go, this releasing, that we find we are released as well. We learn how to love deeper within this place. We learn the cogs of the wheels of love are greased, in great part, by blessing. Bless, bless, bless...and do not withhold your blessing. You'll find the beauty of God here, I promise you.
© Elisabeth Cooper 2017