"FORGIVE THEM"

 

“FORGIVE THEM”

Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people, because they don’t know what they are doing.”

It’s hard isn’t it? Forgiving someone who has caused you harm doesn’t come naturally for most people. The physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual pain that often haunt us because of someone’s actions and words haunt us. We usually can’t just “get over it” and move on as if it never happened. Yet, Jesus said that if we are not willing to forgive others, God won’t forgive us. So, what do we do?

As hard as it is to do, we must be willing to let go of the suffering we endure caused by others. Without God’s help, it may be impossible to do. Jesus showed us by His example, that it is possible to forgive those who do us wrong. He could have internalized His pain as the Roman soldiers nailed Him to the cross, but He didn’t. He A asked God to forgive them for what they had, and was now doing, to Him. He was more concerned about their souls than He was His own sufferings. A good place to start with healing would be to ask the Lord to forgive them and help them to treat others better than you were treated.

How can we muster up the interest in the well-being of someone who has wronged us? A good place to start would be with ourselves. We are not innocent people. We are guilty of wronging others, causing them pain and suffering. I know I have. I am no angel. The memory of some of the things I did to others are etched into my mind. But in order to not be a victim to my regretful actions and words, I have learned that I must forgive myself with the Lord’s help. I am not that person anymore because of Gods ’amazing grace. I can’t undo my wrongs, but I can learn from them. Sometimes forgiving one’s self involves going to the person you have wronged and ask for forgiveness.

Most importantly, if we want to be a forgiving person, we must ask God to forgive us for the wrongs we have done to Him. We are all guilty of saying and doing things against God. No one is beyond the need to be forgiven by God. And once we experience His forgiveness, we are set free to forgive those who sin against us.