When You Walk Through A Cattle Pasture...

So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. 

James 4:7 

The question was asked of me, "If I have forgiven someone who has hurt me, but when I come in contact with them, I get angry and upset all over again, does that mean I haven't truly forgiven them?"  Forgiveness is not forgiveness unless it costs you!  End of story!  Forgiveness will cost you the "right" of revenge.  Forgiveness will cost you the "right" to slap on a happy mask and pretend everything is okay.  You see, forgiving someone does not mean the scars are gone.  And if someone has hurt you, then forgiveness might even cost you a relationship with that person.

One thing to consider, Forgiveness does not remove the temptation to let our humanity show.  Take for example if I get a bottle of water, and that water is scalding hot, the wise thing for me to do is not touch that bottle until I can handle the heat.  The same applies when others hurt us.  We can forgive them, but the wise thing to do is to not be in proximity of the person who hurt us until we are completely able to handle their company without being fake.  Why? Because once you have forgiven someone who has hurt you, you don't want to be tempted to be hurt by them again or to become angry with them again.  You should distance yourself from them until that hurt within you has healed completely.

If you are familiar with cows, they are quite prolific in the manufacture of manure and aren't too particular where they leave this gift.  I don't know about you, but I've never seen anyone who works with cows walking through a pasture without shoes, boots, waders, or some covering.  Why? Because once you've stepped in it, you learn it's not something you want to step into again.

Think of it this way, if you know that where the traps are, wouldn't it be wiser to walk around them rather than step into them.  We are told to resist temptation.  When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount, His approach was to remind us that the temptation to do wrong begins in the heart.

Therefore, if you want to avoid the temptation, sometimes you have to separate yourself from the place where your temptation lurks.  The enemy knows where you struggle and sets traps for you, avoid them!