To Forgive...

Scripture:
Isaiah 41:17-20
Colossians 3:12-14

Forgiveness is not necessarily the easiest thing to give.  We tend to harbor all the injustice done to us clinging to them as if they were a life line.  On the other hand we want other people to forgive us of all the things we have done wrong.  A few things came to mind this weekend.  I was reflecting on the past.  I thought of all the fights Nancy and I had.  I thought of all the wrongs I have done, and she was the brunt of them.  As I look back it is really amazing that she stuck it out and stayed with me.  Would I have been so dedicated to put up with all the stuff she had to put up with me?

It is easy to know the right things.   You can learn what to do and how to do it.  Knowing how the family is supposed to be and how everything interrelates.  All this is doesn’t benefit you or your family if you cannot put it in practice.  I look back and see all the times I have failed.  I can see all the wrongs and how they stain not only my life but the lives of those I have touched. 

The good news is that God doesn’t remember them.  Once we seek forgiveness and repent of our sins God chooses not to remember them.  I remember an aunt who got mad at my mom for something.  She wouldn’t speak to my mom for over ten years.  How many times do we do hold a grudge?  How many times do we fail to forgive?  Matthew 6: (NIV) “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” If we want God’s forgiveness we must also forgive others who have sinned against us.  Besides do you want a loved one to hold a sin against you?  God forgave us of our sins.  Christ died for our sins.  Are we greater than the creator and our savior?  We must follow God’s example and forgive others who have sinned against us.  1 Corinthians 13:4-5: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”