There is a word in the english language that disturbs me more than any other. Whenever it is uttered my senses cringe. Many find it offensive and even inconceivable.
That word is forgiveness.
My entire life I have struggled with the issue of genuinely forgiving other people. I know what the Bible says. I can even verbalize the words out loud. But alongside the part of me that knows I am supposed to let go of offense there is this other guy that wants to kick the door in, laughing maniacally with both guns blazing until the guilty parties are annihilated.
It is one thing to say you forgive someone else. It is another thing entirely to actually do it.
Yesterday I was graciously given the opportunity to put this into practice. I was at home and received an email that sent hot, piercing flames up the back of my neck making that little vein pop out of my forehead.
Did I mention that it upset me?
I turned off the computer, sat in my chair and silently fumed. I could feel the bitterness in the back of my throat. Rehearsing in my head were all the sharp jabs that would be thrown the next time we met.
Then God, as usual, intervened in my Machiavellian fantasies and got my attention.
I turned on the television and the word FORGIVE was emblazoned on the screen. Bishop Eddie Long, pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, gave a powerful message on how unforgiveness affects the believer. While many may disagree with him on certain doctrinal points, what he spoke on this issue was forcefully true.
In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus gives His disciples what everyone familiar with anything religious calls ‘the Lord’s Prayer’. We always tend to read over verse 12 in order to get the ‘good’ part, but there it is in all of it’s red lettered splendor:
“…and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us.”
I am asking God to forgive me as I forgive other people? I don’t do that so well. I want grace and mercy for myself and justice and revenge on those who have wronged me.
Bishop Long gave the illustration that when God forgives someone their sin against you, according to Psalm 103:12 He removes it as far as the east is from the west and literally remembers it no more. He then compared it to a crime scene investigation. Since God has forgiven them, it was as if He wiped their prints off the evidence. If you are still in that place angrily demanding justice and vindication, the only one left at the scene of the crime is you. Your fingerprints are the only ones still remaining from holding on so tightly and refusing to let go.
Maybe that is why Jesus often used the analogy of an unforgiving debtor being thrown into prison. In passages such as Matthew 5:23-26, He warns us that harboring resentment and refusal to forgive is akin to being placed in a spiritual bondage that can only result in our hearts and minds being locked away from all the incredible things God wants for us.
God reminded me that when I forgive, it can’t be lip service. It has to be the real deal. When the message ended, I prayed and sincerely forgave that individual who had sent the email. Once expressed with sincerity something incredible happened.
That bitter taste left the back of my throat. The vein went back to normal.
And I was forgiven.
Ryan Revolution
[...] Of course some bad too. But I choose to remember the good. A friend of mine just wrote a great post on forgiveness. When we pray in the Lord’s Prayer “forgive us our sins just as we forgive those who [...]