Your MoveSample

Reading this verse can make the whole idea of forgiveness sound a lot like karma: forgive, because if you don’t, you won’t be forgiven either! While that may give you a reason to forgive, it’s not a very good one! What if that’s not what this means? What if, instead, Jesus is pointing out the connection between our ability to forgive and our ability to accept forgiveness from God? In other words, forgiveness is already ours, but if we are holding out on extending forgiveness to others, we are going to be less likely to believe forgiveness is ours to hold, too.

Freely giving forgiveness makes it more likely for us to accept the reality of it ourselves. When we condemn others, we are more likely to condemn ourselves. And when we judge others, we are going to judge ourselves more harshly, too. Everything connects with everything else. So, forgiving others is about more than just releasing the other person who hurt us. It’s about releasing ourselves as well.

Remember, giving forgiveness is directly tied to our ability to receive it. So, giving it benefits everyone involved!