Forgiveness

Luke 6:37-38 ^“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.  Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

I must have heard this passage a hundred times and yet somehow I did not allow it to reach me in its entirety until recently.  Oh, I know that I needed to be loving and kind, giving and forgiving, but how about my recent hurts, or those who keep hurting me…over and over?  What about them?

Luke 17:3-4 “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

So how about the unrepentant?

Matthew 6:14-15 ^“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Whoah!!!

Mark 11:24-25 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

Forgiveness is a big deal. These are the words of Jesus Himself.  He calls us to forgiveness; but why?  Is it so that those that we forgive can continue to hurt us or others?  Is it so that they can be relieved of our unforgiveness?   Think about it, who are we hurting with our withholding of forgiveness?  Does the offender lose sleep at nights thinking of how we won’t let go of what has transpired?  In most cases, no…they don’t.  Holding on to unforgiveness hardens your heart.  It brings bitterness and it festers.  It hinders our prayers and our relationship with God.   Jesus commands us to forgive, not only for what it does for others but for what it does for us.  It frees us.

When Jesus offered His life for us, it was for the forgiveness of our sins, while we were still sinners.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

He did not withhold His forgiveness from us. He did not condemn us.  He set us free.  As He forgave us…so should we forgive others. 

John 20:21-23 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

He gave us the authority and power to forgive as He forgave.  Now none of these are new concepts to me, but what was new was the realization of my own unforgiveness and the condition of my heart. When I truly examined myself, and asked for God’s help in revealing what I might be holding on to…I was surprised.  I had thought…oh, I forgave that person long ago, and truly I thought that I had, but whenever something would happen that would trigger thoughts of this person and that particular situation, that old wound would rip right open again.   Holding an account of the wrongs committed against us keeps us from focusing on letting go of the past and moving forward.  The example Jesus gave to us is to forgive, freely, and without keeping track of past wrongs. 

So how does this work when I am so hurt?  How can I forgive someone who hurt me so badly, and if given the chance would do it again? Start small, say the words “I forgive ______.” Pray for them. You may not even mean it at first, but keep trying and don’t give up. Saying I forgive them does not mean that I need to pick up our relationship where we left off.  It does not mean that I drop all my boundaries in regards to that person.  What it means is that I let go of the past.  I let go of my hurt.  When I think of this person and that particular hurt, I think of them with compassion and wish them the same forgiveness that God has shown me.  I pray that they receive healing and deliverance, I pray for God’s mercy upon them.

When hurt comes again…and it will, for we live in a broken world with broken people, I guard my heart.  I choose compassion instead of offense.   I choose love over hate.  I try to picture them as God sees them.  I realize that the true enemy is not the flesh and blood person I see before me, but “the prince of the power of the air”, “the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.”  I will obey and I will forgive.

Colossians 3:12-14 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Finishing Strong

   This week I have to say goodbye (for now) to a truly amazing family.  I first met Amy through a class at church where Jim and I were table leaders.   She explained that her husband (Tom) was in the military and was serving in Iraq. Her 5 boys were in various youth and children's ministries in the church. She had stepped up to be a youth leader in our church and to lead youth life groups.
    In the two years since then Tom  Amy and their children have served in so many ways.  They came like a whirlwind, serving and teaching everyone they met.  They ministered to military families and non-military families.  They gave of themselves to the point of stretching and they grew in those stretches.
    Jim and I had the privilege of getting to know them a bit better more recently.  We were struggling with a few things and felt we needed to be "poured into" by some other couples.  We asked Tom and Amy if we could join their group for a little while.   They gladly agreed.   We got to know them and their amazing heart for God's people.  We watched as they made it all look effortless.
     A few weeks into our joining them, they received word from the Army that Tom was getting transferred.  Tom and Amy immediately formulated their "exit strategy".  Jim and I were proud to be a small part of that.   I remember their concerns about "finishing strong".  They wanted to continue to serve and reach out right up until the day they had to pack up.  They prayed for their boys to adopt the same attitude.
     This past Sunday was their last in our church.  The childrens ministry honored their whole family with a tribute, one that I have not seen the likes of before in our church. Their little Zack led the worship with his favorite worship song and they had all the ministry leaders and youth and children that their family touched say a few words.  They were humbled.  Zack was baptized that day!  Their son Andy was serving.
      Tomorrow they will attend our lifegroup for the last time (which is also partly their old lifegroup).   They will move out on Saturday morning.   As they are packing, they are saying goodbye to friends and still ministering and serving those around them.  They are concerned for their friends they are leaving and even now are making arrangements to see that needs are met.
      I am honored to know such a family and inspired by their commitment to finishing strong!  May we all serve God so completely that we do our very best right up until we "move on".   Tom, Amy, Mitch, Andy, Tim, Zack and Josh, we will miss you and we hope to be able to see you again very soon!

Journey's

So yesterday's lesson was on patience. It really has me thinking today about our journeys. How often have we heard from our kids..."are we there yet?" as we pass mountains and streams and all sorts of beauty. Our children are focused on the destination and get annoyed with the journey. When on foot children often run on ahead to the destination ahead of us missing the trees and flowers along the way. Could this be why God does not often reveal the entire plan He has for us?....He wants us to slow down and take in the beauty of the journey along the way?  He wants us to walk with Him step by step through the journey and take in all He has for us along the path. There is such beauty in the journey, trust God in each step. He is not just at the starting line or waiting at the destination. God walks with us in each moment. Learn to enjoy each moment with God.