The road to forgiveness is often the road least traveled. Acknowledging where someone has hurt you, misspoken words to others about you, or lied to you, and still choosing forgiveness isn’t easy. The forgiveness process looks different for everyone.
In my own life, I’ve had to walk through asking for forgiveness more often than I’d like to admit. Each time it chipped away at the veneer I’d put up and showed me the reality of who I was and the distance of how far I was from who I longed to be. God had shown me that I would never become the person I was meant to be until I had fully become a person of integrity and sought to repent for the wrongs I had committed.
Yet seeking forgiveness from others served another purpose. It allowed me to begin viewing the breadth of how much God had forgiven me. I had been a Christian, repented of my unbelief, and read the scriptures. Yet, it wasn’t until I had actually lived it out that it had finally clicked for me. Others in my life were able to forgive me when I was insensitive, put myself before others, or was negligent in maintaining relationships. The sin I had committed against a holy God was infinitely worse, yet he was able to still forgive me. Not just forgive me like a normal person would, but grant me inheritance into his eternal kingdom so that I would have life to the fullest. That was completely new to me and, still to this day, one of the primary reasons I can forgive others. If God can forgive me of my past, present, and future sins, why would I not in turn do the same for others?
Forgiving others isn’t easy and will be a journey you’ll be on for the rest of your life because of the sins or wrongdoings you’ve done to others, or others have done to you. Here are some helpful suggestions or reminders to cling to whenever the path for forgiveness seems bleak.
- You’ve been forgiven by God for sins worth eternal consequence.
- Scriptures calls us to forgive others honestly and earnestly.
- The state of how well you forgive is tied to your relationship with God.
- Forgiving others isn’t approval of what’s been done.
- God cares about the effort more than the result.
May these words be a blessing to you as you continue on your journey towards becoming a person who loves and forgives well.