March 19th 2016
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32
As we approach Easter, the word “forgiveness” encompasses my thoughts because it is the premise of the Easter story. By definition, forgiveness means – “the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well.” This definition is probably familiar to most of us, but it’s the last part that to me is the most challenging –“an increased ability to wish the offender well”. This takes forgiveness beyond the act and extends it to our attitude after we forgive. This is not an easy action to take, but one that is necessary for Christians, and is modeled by our Savior through the Easter story. A few weeks ago, Pastor Bob challenged us that before we took communion, we should think of someone that needed our forgiveness, pray about the situation, and forgive them. What a simple, yet monumental task! Every day we face the need to forgive, whether for a small action or one that has been consuming us for a while. It is not easy to carry through, but if we look to Jesus as our example, he forgives every single one of us for every action that we have ever committed in the past or future – without hesitation. We should strive every day to do the same.
Research has proven that it is detrimental to our health to withhold forgiveness. Dr. Robert Enright, who is considered the initiator of forgiveness studies, developed a 20-step Process Model of Forgiveness. He studied what kind of people were more likely to forgive, and the long term effects it has on a person. His studies revealed that those who forgive are happier and healthier than those who hold resentments.
Forgiveness is a common thread throughout the New Testament. In Luke 7 Jesus said to the sinful woman: “Many sins are forgiven her because she has loved much. In Mark 2 he said to the paralytic: “Your sins are forgiven you; take up your mat and walk.” In Luke 11, while teaching his disciples how to pray he said: “whenever you stand and pray, forgive if you have anything against anyone so that your Father in Heaven may also forgive you.” Dying on the cross he says in Luke 23: “Father, forgive them; they know not what they are doing.”
Lent is a time to forgive and move on in the journey of our life. This journey began with God and if we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, will end with him as well. “Once found, forgiveness frees. It liberates you from feverishly keeping score and remembering wrongs. It propels you into a higher way of living. A life of grace. A life of second chances. A little of seeing the possibilities for people and yourself rather than being debilitated in the swampy muck of what has been. A life in which perfectionism is replaced with joy. A life in which you do not have to carry others people’s wrongs or be trapped in the prison of your own.” -Everybody Needs to Forgive Somebody, p. 14
Forgiveness is not an option, it is a command. It is not up to us to decide who is worthy of our forgiveness. We are to forgive everyone without question. Just think how our eternal lives would be different if God contemplated our worthiness of forgiveness, and held a grudge if we did something that did not please him. When you feel like it is just not in you to forgive someone, think of what your eternal life would be like if God just simply did not have it in him to forgive you for something similar. Fortunately, we do not ever have to worry about God choosing to forgive – he does it whenever we ask. It is not up to us to choose, but rather to just forgive.
– Michelle Reichner