Forgiveness Is Beautiful

I have known for many years that forgiveness for a Christ follower is not optional. I have been forgiven for my sins; therefore forgiveness should be part of my character and who I am. After working through forgiveness and coming to terms with the weight of it as well as it’s value, it comes easier the second time, and the third, etc.…

I love the definition that Billy Graham used for forgiveness. He said, “Forgiveness if giving up my right to retaliate or strike back.” That helped me a lot. The times when forgiveness was needed for unspeakable harm against me, I most definitely wanted to strike back. I wanted a piece of the other person. I wanted them to hurt like I was hurting. Forgiveness was calling my name. I remember that the Lord reminded me of how I had hurt Him and how He still forgives – ouch.

The Lord uses the adulterous woman analogy in the book of Hosea to teach us more about His heart and His willingness to forgive. Check this out…

13 I will punish her for the days

    she burned incense to the Baals;

she decked herself with rings and jewelry,

    and went after her lovers,

    but me she forgot,’

declares the Lord.

14 ‘Therefore I am now going to allure her;

    I will lead her into the wilderness

    and speak tenderly to her.

15 There I will give her back her vineyards,

    and will make the Valley of Anchor a door of hope.

There she will respond as in the days of her youth,

    as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

23 I will plant her for myself in the land;

    I will show my love to the one I called “Not my loved one”.

I will say to those called “Not my people”, “You are my people”;

    and they will say, “You are my God.”’ (Hosea 2:13-15,23 NIV)

 

Forgiveness while it’s beautiful can be very hard and somewhat messy. In order to really forgive, I have to let go of things that have wounded me. I’ve learned that forgiveness and reconciliation are two entirely different things. These two work together, but they are different and separate.

Years ago when I was wounded and broken so deeply, I kept hearing the passage at the end of Ephesians 4. Check this out…

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-31 NIV)

Forgiveness ends up becoming a gift that I give myself. Through forgiveness, relationships can be restored. Through forgiveness Hope enters the room. On the flip side of forgiveness is bitterness. Bitterness is a cancer that destroys from the inside out. I once heard someone say that bitterness is a poison that I take hoping it’s going to kill the other person. Bitterness destroys – Forgiveness builds.

I have been forgiven over and over and over by the Lord. I have broken His heart many times and still allures me back. I am most like the Lord when I forgive.

Pressing On!

Dwayne