Okay so I have this problem; Forgiveness.
See the thing is that I am really good at cognitively making sense of an issue and figure out how and why I need to forgive. I am good at that. But the emotional piece is a completely different story.
Okay so story time. A few weeks back I was talking to a friend who had been hurt by someone’s choices. This person’s friend eventually came back and apologized and has since made amends. So as my friend told me this story, the first thing I said was this, “I don’t think I would want to be friends with a person who did that in the first place.”
Let’s be honest, that doesn’t sound like a very forgiving attitude. But here is my favorite part of the story. Immediately after I made that statement, my friend replied with this gem, “I have needed forgiveness from my friends before. So I am going to forgive [this person] now.”
It has seriously been weeks since that happened and I can’t get that quote out of my brain. It bowled me over then, and it continues to do the same.
What kind of selfish jerk am I to think that I should withhold forgiveness? Especially when I have needed forgiveness myself so often…
But I think that is the answer. I was being a selfish jerk at that point.
How dare I withhold forgiveness when I have needed it so much?
Am I really so arrogant to think that I haven’t needed forgiveness?
Or do I just try to deceive myself?
Do I really just want to just be a little better than this other guy?
Here is my favorite part. The Bible repeatedly tells us that God will forgive and judge us based on how we forgive and judge others. (Luke 6:37, Matthew 6:14 & Mark 11:25 to name a few)
PLEASE watch this…
I am bought with blood. Accept and rejoice. For freedom has come.
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