Forgiveness

 

The theme of forgiveness has been on my mind lately so if I may I will share some thoughts 

But please know I have not perfected this in any way, it is truly a struggle for me to forgive not only others for the hurt and rejection I have felt but to forgive myself for the hurts I’ve caused in the choices I’ve made, but Paul encourages me by reminding me in Philippians 3:13-14(ESV), “Brothers, (and sisters:))I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”

I admire the life of Joseph. Here was a young man, rejected by his brothers, stripped of his clothing and thrown into a dry well, only to be brought out and sold to Midianite traders who in turn sold him to Potiphar in Egypt. Then  Portiphar’s wife accused him of making unwanted advances upon her and he was thrown into prison, he was innocent, but did he try to defend himself? Rant and rave about the injustice? Determine to get back at those who had hurt him? No!

He trusted himself to God. Somehow he believed that God had a greater purpose; a plan. And instead Joseph took the “high road” so to speak and did good and won the approval of those he worked for and God raised him to a high position in Egypt for that time. 

Genesis 45:4-5, 8(ESV) says, “So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life. So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and Lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.”

Joseph was able to see that sometimes there is a greater purpose to the evil we see around us or that is happening to us, sometimes God permits it to bring about a greater good.

Then there’s King David. ‭‭Not only was Saul always pursuing him to kill him, his own son betrayed him. And then there was a man name Shimei, from the family of the house of Saul who was cursing David and throwing stones at him! All the while saying, “…Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man! The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.””

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭16‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭ESV‬‬

But did King David return insult for insult? Did he curse him as well? Or throw stones? No! Instead David said in 2 Samuel 16:10-12(ESV) “…If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” “…Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.””

‭‭Wow! I don’t think I could have done the same. My defensiveness would have shown and I’d be giving back the same treatment he gave me!

But that’s not what we are called to do. 

Like Joseph and David, we can name the hurt, acknowledge it, then let it go, leave it in Gods hands to deal with as He will.

Unforgiveness destroys life like a cancer, if we let bitterness and unforgiveness in our hearts it will eat us alive. Forgiveness, on the other hand, brings life; peace. Our circumstances may not change, but we can trust that God is working all things for our good(see Romans 8:28). 

In Matthew 6:12, Jesus taught us to pray, “and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

‭‭ Luke reads a little differently 

Where Matthew says, “as we forgive”, Luke says, we ALSO forgive.

Not just certain others, but everyone 

If we desire mercy from God we must show mercy to others, not easy, how can I forgive those who have hurt me by their words; rejection or disapproval? Only by the grace of God. 

Jesus forgave those who persecuted Him, He cancelled their debt, I/we need to do the same. 

Colossians 3:13(ESV) teaches us, “bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

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Easy? No, but one day at a time and with God’s grace, I believe we can. As far as forgiving ourselves? Well, maybe it’s about allowing the love of God to flow over us and heal those self inflicted wounds and trusting that we are fully and completely forgiven because of all Jesus has done for us.

One day at a time:)