A Moment With Godনমুনা

FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.

An easy subject to talk about, but difficult to put into practice especially when we have the power to retaliate, when we have the power to hurt others and a reason to do so. The difficulty increases in proportion to how badly we have been hurt. When we’ve been hurt badly, we don’t feel like forgiving the person, even if he repents, at least not until he’s suffered a while. We want him to know what it feels like. We want him to pay.

Many times we hesitate to forgive. It could be that we have not been forgiven. It could also be because of the fear that the other person will repeat the act or we really don’t love the person.

But, forgiveness has always made people look big in the sight of others.

A forgiving person has more friends, he is pleasant and a joy to be with.

Let us look at Joseph's life.

Forgiveness is a decision, a deliberate action. It is not a feeling. Joseph had to make this choice. He was young, only thirty years old. He had the power to retaliate. But he chose to forgive. Let us not wait for the right feeling to forgive. Feelings are undependable, unpredictable and can be misleading.

Forgiveness is showing mercy even when the injury has been deliberate. Joseph was harmed by this brothers, his father, Potiphar's wife and Potiphar. Their actions were planned and deliberate. Joseph, however showed mercy. He need not have, but he did. It is difficult for a young man to show mercy, but Joseph was able to do it because the Lord was with him. He allowed the Lord to work in him. Having the presence of the Lord is one thing but allowing the Lord to take control is another.

Colossians 3:12 says ‘Put on’

Let us remember the hurts. The ones who hurt us. Let us deliberately choose to forgive them. Because the Lord has forgiven us. In forgiving we don't show how weak we are, but we will definitely show how strong the Lord is in this weak vessel.

We cannot do this in our own strength, but with the Lord, it is possible for us to forgive.

We have the opportunity to forgive and in so doing we reflect the life of Jesus Christ.

When we forgive others, the Lord will take care of our hurts.

He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself for every man has need to be forgiven.