Wow, so these past few weeks of my life and have been a challenge to say the least. Its easier to tell someone else to forgive then to actually have to practice forgiving someone. A dear friend of mine shared an article with me on forgiveness and it really impacted me in a positive way. I wanted to share just a small facet of what spoke to me the most.
I never realized the King David had felt the pain of a friend's betrayal. In Psalm 55he pours his heart out to God about this. In our stuggle to forgive we are not alone! Our Father is with us. We can actually come to a place of experiencing personal peace over a once-overwhelming heartache. And we can forgive. When we forgive someone who has truly wronged us, we take part in a miracle! Forgiving is a miracle; it is love's greatest work. When you forgive a person who hurt you deeply and unfairly, you are performing a miracle that has no equal! In the act of forgiving, our character is changed. We become more like Christ, and we bestow the blessing of mercy to others. Forgiveness is essential if we want to be forgiven of God. We pray the Lords prayer say, "forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us". We are asking God to forgive us to the same degree that we forgive others. Matthew 6:14-15 says, "If you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." This is very serious.. we must forgive others!
Why is this act of forgiving so difficult? Because it conflicts with both our fallen nature and our fallen sense of "justice". Our fallen nature wants to hold onto hurts, keeping them tightly sealed so they can fester and grow and create bitterness. Our fallen sense of "justice" wants to put down the offender as evil, sick, or depraved and to reap vengeance on him in "righteous" anger. These two fallen senses battle with our need to forgive, and make the act of forgiving very hard.
Forgiveness is essential for four reasons. First, it is the commandment of Christ for His followers. If we call ourselves Christians, we must forgive. Second, it is a necesarry component for lasting and honest relationships. If we are the body of Christ, and members of one another, our relationships have to take top priority! Right relationships are forgiving relationships. Third, it is in the character of God which is love. If we are to grow in godliness, we need to impart Christlike forgiveness. Lastly, we ourselves need to be healed of the hurt inside us. Holding on to hurts, creating bitterness, putting the offender down and being angry destroys us. To withhold forgiveness harms no one but ourselves!
Putting the offense in proper Godly perspective can help. No one has been more wronged than Jesus Christ. No one has been more personally hurt, more betrayed by a friend, or more denied by those closest to Him. Remembering the forgiveness Jesus freely gave can strengthen us to forgive. Forgiving is something we do regardless of the offender does. Reconcilliation is possible only when both parties come together to resolve an offense, but forgiveness is a solitary act. It is done by us alone. Reconcilliation involves brothers; forgiveness involves one person. Reconcilliation is a work of unity; forgiveness is an individual decision. Forgiveness must take place in our hearts, even if we never acheive reconcilliation with our brother. The truth is, we must forgive the person that offended us, whether he apologizes or not. True forgiveness is not dependent on anything.
A helpful mental process is to seperate the person from the hurt he caused, and let it go. In doing so begin to see the person differently: not so much as evil, but as under the influence of Evil; Not so much as wicked, but as weak and fallible. Remember we are weak and fallible to!
And so we forgive, as God in Christ forgave us. Freely, sincerely and completely. No matter how hard it may be. No matter how long it takes. Whether the person apologizes or not. Regardless of the person's willingness to be reconcilled with us. Without excusing the sin, but bodly facing it and releasing it as "against" our brother or sister. We forgive. When we have truly forgiven, we have performed a miracle.
This is my prayer today and every day.. "Lord help me to walk in this kind of true forgiveness, not matter how hard it may be. Build my character, help me to share in your sufferings so I may be more like You! Amen"
No comments:
Post a Comment