Good Morning All,
“Oh, forgive me; I must have made a
mistake.” Maybe you have heard that
before; I know that I have. I have heard
that when I got a phone call and the person wanted someone that I have never
heard of. I have heard this when someone
took my cart in the grocery store. I
have used it in the same situations.
Most people do. We use it as a
semblance of a civil society; it represents the opposite of the “road rage
mentality” that we see once in a while.
It is used to stave off an angry response. It is easy to say and, for the most part, is
easy to forgive. We might exhale in
exasperation as we either have had something broken or spilled or stepped
on.
It seems so easy; one asks and one responds
and life goes on. It almost seems that
it occurs with little, if any, thought.
There seems to be little, if any, emotional connection, and this is why
we struggle with forgiveness. Too often,
we go through the actions of asking for forgiveness the same way whether it is
for bumping into someone or we have caused real pain in a person’s life.
Forgiveness is where Christianity differs
from other religions. It is also where
the rubber meets the road, so to speak.
It is the core of our faith; it is who we are or at least claim to
be. Yet we struggle with both sides of
the equation. If someone hurts us,
really hurts us; forgiveness can be the hardest thing to do. I always counsel forgiveness what might
surprise some is that I do not always counsel it right away. If a spouse is unfaithful or abusive and
causes the rupture of the marriage, forgiveness takes a while. If a friend tells a major lie about you or
does something to hurt your reputation, it can be very difficult to
forgive. We know these situations; maybe
you have even experienced it.
Forgiveness does two things. First, it releases the control of the past
upon our present and future. If we keep
looking back, especially at what hurts, we will often miss the blessings of
today. It leaves our future in the hands
of someone who hurt us. So, we forgive,
we no longer demand repayment for the injury.
Is this tough to do? It is
without a doubt the hardest thing you will ever do but God tells us to do it
because there can only be healing if there is forgiveness; without forgiveness
we are left with pain.
That is what the verse tells us. When someone sins against you, the weight of
that sin remains with them. The pain
that they caused you will remain with them.
In order for them to be released from the pain, from the debt they owe,
we need to forgive them so that they too can heal. It is hard; it can be incredibly hard but God
invites us to forgive in order that healing and reconciliation can occur and
that we can be whole again.
Father of love and mercy, you have given me your forgiveness in order
that I might be reconciled to you. Lead
me by your Spirit to forgive as you have forgiven me. Lead me to give the healing that you so
freely give to me. Send your powerful
healing to all. In the precious name of
Jesus we pray, amen.
God’s Peace,
Pastor Bret
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