Punishing with Not Forgiving
Have you been hurt by someone close to you? Do you find it difficult to extend forgiveness? We can’t stop people from hurting us — after all, we’re human. We may think we are punishing them by withholding forgiveness. The irony of it all is you end up getting punished when you hold back forgiveness from others.
God stands here with his arms open wide forgiving me and you. At the same time, we feed our heads with totally different messages. They do not deserve my forgiveness. They have not been punished enough. They will be let off the hook if I forgive them.
Our Purchase Price
The price God paid to forgive me and you was…priceless. God chose to use His Son as a sacrifice to wipe out the world’s sin. Gone. Into the sea of forgetfulness. As far as the east is from the west. There is no way possible you or I could ever pay God back for just one sin not to mention a lifetime of sins. Knowing this, forgiveness takes on a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?
When we do not forgive it is like telling God “Your forgiveness and your sacrifice was not good enough for me. I need something greater.” Really? You would tell that to the God of the universe?
My Own Struggles with Forgiveness
I just recently struggled with forgiveness. It ate at my heart and consumed my thoughts. I was willing to sacrifice a relationship so I did not have to forgive. In essence, I was telling God that I was big enough to wear His shoes and make his decisions. Boy was I wrong. I continued to pray. It wasn’t a special prayer or a long prayer. I just prayed that I needed help with forgiveness. With each prayer, God melted my heart to the point that it was able to be molded by Him and not hardened like a rock.
God also used that time to remind me of what forgiveness from Him looked like in my life. During the manically wild 20’s and the poor-pitiful-me 30’s, God covered me with His loving mercy and forgiveness. With all that forgiveness, how could I not forgive?
The Prodigal Son
Below is a link to the parable of the Prodigal Son in the Bible. A perfect display of God’s love and forgiveness.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15%3A11-32