Finding Peace

How far has the Lord taken our sins from us?

Farther than the distance from east to west!

Psalm 103:12 (CEV)

Yup. You did it. You screwed up. And since you did, it seems you are hopelessly tainted so, oh well, you might as well keep going.

Except that’s not how Jesus works. Because of Jesus, you have hope! Because of him, you aren’t forever in trouble. Because of him, you can quit doing the same sins. You can heal. You can move forward.

And then you can forgive others who hurt you: the friend who ghosted you when you really needed them, the sibling who treats you unfairly behind your parents’ backs, the Military that took your parent away for too long . . .

Life is full of hurts, and the only hope for true healing is Jesus’s forgiveness. Through his amazing love, he paid the terrible price of a painful death on the cross so he could offer us forgiveness for free.

Knowing Jesus forgives you, how could you not forgive others?

Get real with God about your sin and ask for his forgiveness. Ask him to help you stop making wrong choices. And then ask him to help you forgive others. Even when it’s hard, he can help you let go of that hurt and resentment that you feel so you can experience true peace. And that is what forgiveness is all about.

SPIRITUAL FITNESS TRAINING

Build a fire in your fireplace or a campfire in your backyard (with your parent’s permission, of course!). Cut out small squares of paper. On each one, write a sin that you have trouble avoiding, or write the name of someone whose wrong choices hurt you. Then read each paper, think about those feelings, and throw the paper into the fire. As you watch it burn, thank God that he takes your sin away and helps you to forgive others. Afterward, spend some quiet time in front of the fire and feel God’s peace surround you. (If you don’t have access to building a fire, take a trashcan somewhere quiet and private, and rip up each paper into pieces before throwing it into the trashcan.)

INSPIRATION

“To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.”

—C.S. Lewis, professor, author, and theologian in the 20th century

KEEP IT GOING

Related passages: These additional verses will help you expand Scriptural knowledge and place on the armor of God’s Word to tackle each day. Swipe to read the passages today.

2 Chronicles 7:14

Psalm 130:3–4

Luke 11:4

Colossians 3:13