Real Hope: Relationship With GodSample

Forgiveness

It’s remarkable that Jesus not only went and prayed, but He gave a model of how to pray – what we know as the Lord’s Prayer. In its midst, we see this line, ‘Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors.’ Immediately after finishing the modelled prayer, Jesus reinforces the point, ‘For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.’ This concept always felt ominous to me. Am I forgiving enough? Some people have been horribly abused. Are they going to be left unforgiven by God if they struggle to forgive their aggressor? The more I look deeply into the life of Jesus – how He lived, how He interacted, and what we can see He cared about – the more I look differently at this idea.

The Bible links the idea of us forgiving others with God forgiving us. I wonder, though, if Jesus highlights the importance of us forgiving others because it helps us to live in a more free and open relationship with God. How can we truly understand the power of God’s forgiveness in our life if we don’t experience the power it has in our relationships with others? When we understand what it takes to forgive someone, and we understand the freedom we receive when we let go of the hurts we experience, we become more able to accept that God’s grace and forgiveness are not only possible but complete, transforming, and powerful. Question to consider: When has forgiving someone in your life helped you experience greater joy and peace?

Written by SUSIE HOLT