The Spiritual Fitness ManualSample

Forgiveness – Part 2

By Joey Hudson, President, Gallagher’s Army Fallen Heroes Fund 

With the frequency in which God tells us of His forgetfulness, it is clear He is serious about not only our forgiving one another, but also forgetting anything ever happened. But how do we do this and are humans actually capable of such an act? Often times we tell others, “This person has NO clue what they’ve done to me! They don’t deserve anything at all! Much less MY forgiveness!” The answer to this dilemma is simple: some would argue that those who killed Jesus didn’t deserve forgiveness, yet look at what He said just before dying on the cross.

Simply put, God loves us for who we are and not because of past or present actions. The ability to forgive is one of the many gifts we receive from God. God wanted a relationship with us so badly that He allowed His only son to die on the cross ... so that our sins would be forgiven. When we allow ourselves to fully understand what Jesus did for us, it’s much easier to extend that grace to others. Remember, we aren’t forgiving others for their benefit, but for our own well-being

Forgiving others allows the Lord to begin healing our souls, which leads to a closer relationship with Him. When we get closer to Him through prayer and the study of His word, forgiving those who have wronged us becomes more like the natural flow of Christ’s love, through us, to others.

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

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION:

• What is forgiveness?

• Must I forgive if the person offending me isn’t sorry?

• What if I forgive and not forget?

• How do I forgive myself?