Forgiveness: Call It What It Is
My mind cannot get around the true concept of forgiveness… To even begin to understand how I can forgive, I have to continue my look at the source of true forgiveness… I have to look at my Savior Jesus.
John 3:16 says…
“For God so loved the world that He gave His One and only Son (Jesus) that whoever believes in Him will not die… but have eternal life!”
We learn in Romans that the wages of sin… the cost of sin, is death…
We also learn in Romans that ALL have sinned… we are all in the same boat here – and fall short of the glory of God.
This is why Jesus came… and THIS is what He forgave. He forgave these HUGE injustices against Him – He did no wrong! He didn’t have to forgive us! crazy love!
Oh how I wish I could forgive like this…
…to forgive injustice… maybe I can. But, certainly not on my own.
I know that the Lord continues to perfect the work He began in me when I came to know Him as my savior… and I truly believe that He wants me to forgive injustice the same way His son has… But how do we get there? I mean, what if the feelings really aren’t there?
Can we still forgive?
I don’t have the answers… so that means, I must turn to Jesus and see what is said in the Bible. Jesus is the perfect example of offering true forgiveness… and in His journey to this offering – or to the cross – He acknowledged the sin. Jesus is quick to say why He came… He doesn’t hold back in this. In fact in Luke 9… and Matthew 16, He predicts His death. He says that He will be rejected… that He will suffer all kinds of terrible things… and that He will be killed.
Whether we are looking to be forgiven… or to forgive – we need to follow this example. It is impossible to ask for forgiveness if you haven’t said what it is you are seeking to be forgiven for. And, it is impossible to truly forgive, if we don’t call out the wrong against us.
How else can we experience the freedom forgiveness offers?
We have to be able to call out the sin before we can ask for forgiveness… and we need to be able to call out the sin before we can forgive.
I’ll be the first to admit that, in some cases, this is one of the hardest things to truly be honest about. It requires taking a deep look at my own heart and the spec in my own eye… and it requires a whole lot of humility!
As I have been on my own journey here… I’ve come to realize just how hard this is. Sure, sometimes the wrong that we are seeking to forgive is obvious… but sometimes we see things through a filter of sorts – like rose-colored glasses – and we struggle to really name what it is we need to forgive.
I have found that having one or two close friends to confide in has helped me tremendously in recognizing what I need to forgive… In fact, the most powerful thing I have experienced this last year is that of having my close friends praying for me. Let me encourage you to not underestimate the power in having dear friends pray.
If you are in this place… seeking to forgive… trying to unserstand what the wrong is that you need to forgive… go to the Lord! Sit at His feet and ask Him to open your eyes. Pray for clarity and wisdom.
James 1 says that if we ask for wisdom from the Lord… then He promises to give it GENEROUSLY! It is a blessing that He is just waiting to pour on us!
Okay… another dis-claimer… 😉
Just a reminder that I’m simply working through my own account of learning to truly forgive and blogging that journey here… I really don’t have all the answers – but, I believe that the Lord works through our stories as we share them with each other…
So… please feel free to share a part of your journey in the comments below… we can encourage each other!
This is part 3 in a series on Forgiveness…
You can start with Part 1: Forgiveness HERE.
