Please forgive me…I’m not perfect. Praise the Lord!!!
Being not perfect, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life. I have attempted to atone for my failings but unfortunately, I can’t remember them all. I doubt you can as well and I’m sure you have made one mistake in your life. Maybe one that you don’t remember; maybe one you did when you were younger: and maybe one you’re doing right now!
That’s were forgiveness comes in.
How many of you realize that, without compassion of the Lord Jesus Christ, you would not be sitting here reading this?
Some may ask, well how can I forgive them?
Situations that require forgiveness are ones where the pain inflicted is personal, unfair and deep. Things like betrayal, brutality, abuse, manipulation and gossip (all physical and emotional aspects). We hurt; we are likely to find some hatred in our heart. Specifically with hatred is the time most needed to forgive.
These times also breed a revengeful heart (a symptom of hatred). The rule of the world is “do unto others as they have done unto you”. We try to separate ourselves from the pain and hatred. We involve ourselves in things that are important to us, to distract from the negative. We even blame ourselves saying , “It’s partially my fault, I should have never let that person get so close”.
When we choose to forgive, we choose to lay aside our right to extract revenge or blame. Once we make that decision, we give God a chance to operate. We leave the ultimate justice and vengeance to God. We deliberately choose for ourselves the path of forgiveness.
Some would argue that choosing such a path is inevitably going to make us a patsy; yielding all our power and are going to end up as a doormat. Yet there is a power unleashed in this decision that cannot come from any other source.
Someone once did something to me that really hurt me. They attacked me while I was going to pick up a friend, and beat me senseless. They tried to strangle me and also cut my throat. I was a new Christian at the time; I had just got saved a few months before. In the man’s statement to the Police as to why he did it, mistaken identity. He thought I was someone else.
While awaiting the trial date, I hated! My hatred was so deep I sat and plotted to destroy this man’s life no matter what the consequences. God worked on my heart though and by the time of the trial, I was more at peace with his actions.
He was tried and released into the custody of the Military (That’s a longer story). I visited him in the Navy Brig (jail) and told him I forgave him. With a very genuine attitude, he apologized to me. I’m not sure what ever happened to him but I’m sure God was there for him.
Would it have made it harder on this man to forgive himself, if I didn’t forgive him?
When we have been wronged, we like to caricature our wrong doer. We see them in one way and one way only. Forgiveness requires us to look for the real person behind what we have created in our minds. We begin to see they are weak, needy and fallible. We begin to reason for our hearts to turn toward mercy instead of hate.
Why?
Didn’t God do this for us? Didn’t God look beyond our sin and saw something worth loving?
Maybe it’s a good idea that we should look beyond the typical stereotypes and signs. Maybe we should do what Jesus taught us to do, Love!
We need to treat others the way Jesus treated others.
God did it for you!
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