Forgive as the Lord Forgave: Luke 11:1-13

When the Lord told us to forgive, it was a command not a suggestion. The act of forgiveness is not merely between us and the person we should forgive. It also includes the Lord, as if He stepped between us and the person and says to us, "forgive him--forgive her." To forgive is a choice and sometimes it is a very difficult choice. Let's imagine that your hand has a wound on it with inflammation (pus) underneath the skin. In order for healing to begin, the inflammation must be removed and the wound cleaned. The act of squeezing out the pus represents the idea of forgiveness. It's an act of releasing something to receive something better.

 


Let me give you an example the Lord gave me awhile back. I was on a corridor when a gentleman passed me with a chair in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. Due to the narrowness of the corridor, the gentleman turned sideways to prevent hitting me with the chair, but in doing so the coffee spilled. He apologized and promised he'll come back to clean the mess. However, I had a small towel on hand, and cleaned the area before he returned. He returned and the mess was gone. He looked at the spot and smiled. After the gentleman left, the Lord impressed upon me, "That's what forgiveness looks like, [as if] the act did not happen." 

Forgiveness does not eliminate the act or instantly resolve the problem; it may not even provide immediate relief for the pain. Yet it is commanded by God. In Luke 11, Jesus taught the disciples how to pray. Jesus said we must pray, "Forgive us our sins as we also forgive everyone who sins against us." I believe we can become better at it as we mature in our Christian journey. One way we can approach forgiveness is to take inventories of wrongs we did to others. Have you ever lied to, cheated, betrayed or abused someone? As one author wrote: “We have a natural tendency to write good things others do for us on tablets of water, but bad things are written on tablets of stone.” At some point, we are all guilty of doing wrong to another person.

 I struggled with forgiveness for 13 years. I held someone in a prison in my heart, while convincing myself I'd forgiven the person. Yet, whenever that person's name was mentioned, bitterness rose up in me. One day as I prayed, I was reminded of my failure to forgive. And I cried out, "Lord I cannot do it and you have to help me." I wept. Shortly after peace came over me and I found myself saying, "I forgive you, I forgive you." About a year later, I heard that someone had abused this individual and it filled me with compassion towards the person. At that instant, I felt an inner peace as confirmation that I had genuinely forgiven the person.

 Another facet of forgiveness is forgiving ourselves. Love and forgiveness are the power twins. And if we love ourselves, we should forgive ourselves. I implore you: read Psalm 139:13-18. It says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. If we believe that, we will begin to love ourselves. If we love ourselves on that account, we will be able to forgive ourselves when we miss the mark. If God can forgive us, we should also forgive ourselves. Is there someone in the prison of your heart that you need to forgive? Just do it, as God forgave you. Healing begins with forgiveness.

 R.G.  27/07/25

 

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