I believe that forgiveness is one of the greatest, hardest, rewarding, challenging, and special things we can ever experience, offer or recieve. I am in a moment where my heart is hard and I lack the idea of wanting to forgive. I want to stay upset because I feel I have the deserved right to be upset.
I do not want to forgive.
Yet, what if Jesus felt the same thing about us?
Yeah - Gaby even if you make people laugh and even if you like children - that's not enough. I just don't see a good enough reason to forgive you right now. I don't see a good enough reason to extend you grace.
But he does anyway. That's the beauty of the whole story - he does forgive. He does extend grace. He does love. He never goes anywhere. His heart never becomes hardened to loving us. He sees us in our misery in our manmade puddle of sin and he forgives us. He picks us up and walks us out of it.
If anyone has a right to hold a grudge. If anyone has a right to continue to be upset. If anyone has right to never forgive - he does. But he does the opposite. He sees everywhere that I have ever turned away against him but he continues to love me anyways.
So because of this, I have to forgive. I have no reason to hold a grudge. I have no reason that forgiveness was offered to me even when I was 'undeserving' of it but he gave it to me anyway. So isn't this what we are called to do -- extend the same grace to people who wrong us as well? Offer them a chance to experience forgiveness and the overwhelming knowledge that God loved you enough to do the same any more.
This doesn't happen over night for me. I know what I need to do. I know who I need to forgive. But it is still a challenge. I pray that my heart will be gripped by the reality that I have nothing to hold onto. I am no less deserving to be forgiven as this person is to receive forgiveness.
Psalm 25:11
For the sake of your name, Lord,
forgive my own iniquity, though it is great.
Matthew 26:28
This is my blood of the covenant,
which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
