By David ReayTuesday 7 Aug 2018LifeWords DevotionalsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
Read Ephesians 4:32
32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. (NLT)
We can too easily think that forgiving those who wounded us is some sort of cop out. We let them off the hook; we let them get away with it. And so we take a hard line: we go on resenting what has been done to us and even hope the offender rots in hell.
All very understandable, but not at all helpful or wise or good. God will certainly sort out the justice issues, and in some cases he may do it through our civil laws. But for our own healing and welfare, we do better to forgive. Which is not excusing or denying or forgetting. It is facing the pain and yet refusing to let it shape our future.
Lew Smedes has written well on this topic:
When we forgive, we surrender a basic human right to get even. But this surrender is not a defeat: it is the ultimate win. When we forgive a wrong we set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner we set free is us. When we forgive, we dance again to the melody of healing. When we forgive, we reclaim control of our lives from the slavery of a hurting memory.
Forgiving may be painful and may take time and may seem unfair and unrealistic. But even so, it sure beats any alternative.
Blessings
David Reay