For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. Romans 3: 23-24
A request for my forgiveness came in a recent email. The person had been carrying the heavy burden of self-condemnation for an offense they committed over a decade ago, and their remorse had become all-consuming. I vaguely recall the incident, but don’t even remember being offended at that time: yet this person has not been able to “let go” of their guilt. I answered the email with a phone call, and we talked for over an hour. I assured her of carrying no resentment or hostility (or memory of the offense). She assured me of her sincere regret for words spoken with the intention of embarrassing me and causing me pain. My forgiveness came easily. Her forgiveness of herself… not so much. I think she’s still working on it.
Forgiveness is a word we hear a lot in church. It’s a “staple” in a disciple’s vocabulary. Easy enough to pronounce, easy enough to use in a sentence. But, if we’re honest, it’s not so easy to put into practice.
When we forgive, we in no way change what happened in the past, but we most certainly change the future, as well as the richness of our joy in the present. Napoleon once said, “…One must recognize human shortcomings and adjust himself to them rather than constantly finding fault with each other.” While I don’t disagree with this historical figure, I much prefer the words of our Lord, who is still teaching us how to pray and interact with Our Father and each other. Jesus told us to ask God to forgive us for our trespasses in the way we forgive those who trespass against us. There’s a lot to think about in that phrase.
The power of complete forgiveness enables us to let go of negative feelings and release ourselves from anger, misery, and bitterness. Holding on to resentment toward someone robs us of energy and gives them power over us. Even though the incident may’ve occurred long ago, holding on to memories of the offense allows it to influence our feelings and diminish our joy in the present.
Forgiving our transgressor gives them an opportunity to do better. Forgiving ourselves releases our hostility and bitterness toward ourselves, and gives us an opportunity to do better, which improves our physical and mental health.
What if, before we go to bed each night, we make a conscious effort to let go of any injustice we feel has been done to us and simply allow ourselves the peace of mind that comes by choosing to adjust our attitude toward our offender. Sometimes, the one from whom we most need forgiveness and grace is… (yep, you guessed it!) ourselves.
May you know the blessing of a good night’s sleep as you seek rest in God’s forgiveness, only to find the peace of being covered by his grace.
(Copyright 2024 Lisa Wood)