Forgiveness

The dictionary defines the word forgive as "To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon."

Wow....to pardon. Have you ever thought about that? We know that the President can pardon people. We know that Governor's can. Of course, we all know that God can (at least I hope we all know, if you don't read on). But, have you ever stopped to think about your ability to pardon?

I've learned that it's easy to say that you forgive someone, but to mean it, TRULY mean it in your heart, is HARD! You know what else I've learned? Most of the time, It takes time.

God is certainly willing to forgive us, all we have to do is ask, to say we are sorry and mean it. When we do that, we are forgiven. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. It doesn't say, "...and in time, God will forgive you." He forgives you right then and there.

But, I can't seem to do that. Why? Because I am human, I am not perfect. I think most everyone struggles with this. Think about it, who is the last person that said, "I'm sorry" to you? Did you forgive them and move on? Or, did you mull and stew over the offense? Did you still feel some resentment or a bit of anger the next time you saw them? Then guess what? You didn't forgive them.

You know what it takes to truly forgive? God. I've learned that true forgiveness sometimes requires time and most importantly, always requires God. To forgive someone and forget the offense, to not be resentful, to not feel hurt or anger afterwards is something we, as humans, can not do without God.

Something else to remember: Just as you may be the offended and in need of forgiving someone. You too, are someone who has hurt someone else. It is not possible to live your life without hurting someone at some point in time. If you are aware of a hurt you have caused someone, intentional or not, it is important that you ask that person to forgive you. Be sincere in your apology, don't just send a text or email, actually speak to the person and own up. It is so much easier to forgive someone when they say they are sorry. But, even when they don't, it's still up to us, as Christians, to pray and forgive so that we can be released of that pain and move on.

This Thankful Thursday, I am so very thankful for forgiveness, especially the forgiveness I have received.