Read Colossians 3:13
"bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you." ~ (Colossians 3:13 NASB)
“Be gentle and forbearing with one another and, if one has a difference (a grievance or complaint) against another, readily pardoning each other; even as the Lord has [freely] forgiven you, so must you also [forgive].” ~ (Colossians 3:13 Amplified Bible)
So a few days ago, a truly long, lost former best friend came back into my life. This person literally returned to my doorstep. Our “reunion” was not unlike the stuff you see on television. Something like how when Oprah reunites adopted children with their biological parents & siblings...or like, if Dr. Phil were to reunite an elderly World War II vet with a long, lost comrade who’d been thought to have been killed in battle all those many years ago. Like....it was THAT extreme of a reuniting....at least, for me it was....in my head....on my end. ;-) It had been about 10+ years since I’d last seen this person face-to-face, although they’d only lived about 25 miles away. The circumstances surrounding the cessation of any contact and the deadening of our friendship is a very long, dramatic and - quite frankly - a bit of a tragic story....too long to really get into in this context and unrelated to this devotional entry. However, I can share that once we began catchin' up, there were many tears wellin’ up in the eyeballs from ya boy....and a lot more tears being masculinely held back!. ;-) But to my point, when I received this totally unexpected call from my friend and the subsequent request to come see me; followed by our eventual meeting; then going through the very sincere pleasantries and then getting caught up - among the first words that came from their lips were, “I’m so sorry”. Throughout our hours long convo, my friend would occasionally apologize for missteps they believed they’d committed against me throughout that long 10+ year span. Fam, there are times when hearing those words - "I'm sorry" - can present a certain satisfaction or are met with a certain vindication, as to say, “YES! I was right! You were wrong! Ha!!!”. However, this time...in this situation...with this person....what I felt could not be any further from that. I truly regretted that on this particular issue, my flawed insight actually had some validity. I truly regretted how much being correct in this instance cost this person. But if that weren’t enough, I hated that my recently returned friend actually sought to forgive the person guilty of causing them the pain and trauma that they now must work to rid themselves of. For me, to forgive my friend wasn’t even a thought. I mean, it was nothin’. In my head...there was truly NOTHING to forgive. It was water under the bridge - as they say. A bridge that was about a million miles away. However, this other person...this culprit - the person that had been the major catalyst as to why my friend went through all they did; the decade long lapse in communication - well, let’s just say that grace wasn’t the first thing that I was inclined to give’em! ;-) Real talk. A violent action that rhymes with “a glass heatin’” was more in line with my first thoughts of what I truly wanted to give'em....believe that, Jack! I’ma keep it one hun’ned. Lord help me. Truly. ;-)
Once I came to myself, though...I was reminded of this quote:
"Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive..." ~ CS Lewis
Deep. In other words, most folk are cool with being forgiven. We all want it. All of us. When we have wronged a friend; when we have betrayed the trust of a loved one or when a wrong choice resulting in sin has damaged our fellowship with our Heavenly Father - unmerited forgiveness can be as refreshing to our souls as cool water is to our body on a hot day. However, when we flip it around and put the shoe on the other foot; when we ourselves are placed into the position as the ‘forgiver’, we - sometimes unbeknownst to ourselves - take a far less benevolent stance. Yup. It's those times when we are called upon to forgive a great hurt, deep disappointment, betrayal, etc. that forgiveness becomes an unbearable...even an unthinkable notion.
As not to belittle the legitimate challenge of forgiveness, I 100% acknowledge that the act of forgiving can be as hard as Hades, man! It truly can. Time - and what time can ultimately help produce: distance & perspective - can absolutely be a balm in making even the possibility of forgiveness more realistic and easier to digest. And that’s valid, dude. However, most of us know those people who have carried the burden of unforgiveness for a lifetime...without any resolve. I know I've carried my share. Maybe YOU have, too. There are circumstances and people that are simply far more difficult to forgive than others. Some seem nearly impossible.
Yet in spite of circumstances, though, two constants still remain:
- we ALL need forgiveness and have desired it at some point or another from someone AND
- Christ has given humanity an awesome example of what ultimate forgiveness looks like....as it pertains to you & me and His work on the cross.
“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16 NLT)#forgiveness=loveinaction #PDL #grace #nolovewithoutsacrifice
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"For if we are beside ourselves [mad, as some say], it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit." ~ 2 Corinthians 5:13 (Amplified Bible)
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