Most of us have encountered deep hurt in our lives, often inflicted by another person.
We struggle to forgive, believing that we are the victims, and that they don’t deserve our forgiveness.
But the Bible teaches us that we should strive to forgive, not because the other person deserves it, but because we want to demonstrate God’s grace.
In Romans chapter 12, verse 19, it says, “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay.”
What does this mean for us as believers?
It means that we should forgive in spite of the offense done against us, because we understand that true vengeance will ultimately be God’s alone to do.
Jesus seemed to indicate this when he said, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
The challenge we face is not to forget the wrongs done against us, but to let go of the anger and the bitterness that accompany them.
We can have honest conversations about what happened, reparations can be made, and reconciliation can occur, but ultimately it falls upon us to forgive in our hearts what has been done.
This may seem like a daunting task, and it will certainly take time.
But once we do begin to forgive, we can experience God’s grace and a sense of freedom like never before.
The apostle Paul wrote in Colossians 3:13 “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
The grace and mercy of God are extended to us despite our transgressions against Him.
As Christians we can do no less for those who have wronged us.
The fact is that none of us are perfect and we all need Jesus’ grace and forgiveness.
So by extending His same grace to others, we become better reflections of Him in this world.
True forgiveness does not mean that there are no consequences for bad behavior.
But it does mean denying our own desires for revenge and instead acting as a conduit of God’s grace to those who have wronged us.
Today, you can experience God’s grace as you extend that same grace to someone else.
God bless you today, be blessed and be a blessing,
Graham