October 27
EVERY TIME WE WON'T FORGIVE EACH OTHER, WE ACT LIKE GRACE DOESN'T EXIST.
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
LUKE 6:37
There's a quote you might have heard that goes something like this: "Unforgiveness is like drinking poison and hoping the other person dies." It made me wonder if we could start this quote: "Forgiveness is like drinking poison for someone else and you both live." Here's what I mean.
If you've been alive for more than a couple of years, someone has probably hurt you in some way at some time. Maybe it was a big way that made your life feel off-balance for a little while. Maybe it was a small way that you just can't seem to get over. Whatever it is, perhaps it left you in a place where forgiveness is hard to come by.
The hardest part about forgiveness is when the person who is wrong doesn't ask for it. We should give it anyway. If we don't, we'll have the poison of unforgiveness flowing through our veins and making our whole life feel sick.
It doesn't have to stay this way though. In a sense, forgiveness isn't like drinking poison; it's more like giving you both the antidote. Forgiveness is an invitation to humble ourselves and turn toward the people who have hurt us. It opens the door for grace to come in and surprise us with a renewed sense of love and commitment to each other. But even if that doesn't happen, forgive anyway. Every time we forgive each other, we create a little more space for love, and it's the new space that has the power to change us.
What's keeping you from forgiveness?
When I read this today, I thought about why we forgive; generally we have been hurt. But hurt is not a comparison, it is unique to the individual. If we are keeping a tally of our own hurt, we are negating the fact that the other person also has a unique perspective. We most certainly are not being gracious or generous if we are counting the cost.
Today's reading reminded me to be open, to share my real story and to listen to others. That's what will break down barriers and allow my forgiving heart to function. Love forgives and then looks ahead.