Layers of Forgiveness
Aug 28, 2022Do you ever feel that when you hear the word forgiveness it feels one-dimensional? Like your supposed to forgive and then just move on? You know the famous line “forgive and forget.”
As I stated in my first post of this series my pastor Pete spoke on forgiveness Sunday. He gave the word forgiveness dimension that I knew in my heart and head but couldn’t express through words. And he did it with just four words:
FORGIVENESS WILL COST YOU
To choose to forgive means to embrace the reality of your hurt and offer forgiveness regardless of the person(s) response. The cost is great but the reward is even greater. Jesus paid a huge price to forgive us and the reward in his obedience to the Father is receiving eternal life with him. His forgiveness was not one-dimensional. Yes it had one purpose, but the price he paid to offer forgiveness was:
Humbling – as He entered this world as a helpless infant
Complicated – as He was often misunderstood by friends and family
Lonely – as He wondered in the dessert being tempted in anyway possible to give-up
Overwhelming – as He is BETRAYED and DESERTED by his closest friends
Painful – As He was made fun off, beaten, abused and hung on a cross
Humbling. Complicated. Lonely. Overwhelming. Painful.
Do these words resonate with your heart when you think about the person(s) you are trying to forgive?
There is nothing one-dimensional or “forgive and forget” to this forgiveness.
FORGIVENESS WILL COST YOU
Matthew 5:4, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”
I am no theologian by any stretch but I believe that grieving and forgiveness are closely connected. As Christians we often feel guilty for being angry, sad or depressed because of how we’ve been hurt. It is OK to be angry! It is OK to feel depressed! It is OK to feel confused! It is OK to feel hopeless. Just because you feel these emotions doesn’t change who God is and the love he has for you.
Grieving and forgiveness are so needed in the restoration process. Restoration may not happen with the person(s) who wronged you but rather restoration is possible for you as a person and child of God. While it can be unhealthy to get stuck in one of the stages of grief it is essential to grieve and forgive so healing can begin.
“As painful as they may be, emotional wounds need to be exposed to Jesus Christ so He can heal them.”– Focus on the Family
Jesus felt the emotions of grief, embraced them but did not sin through them. We are sinful natured people. We will most-likely fail at times in the grieving process but in the process healing will begin and forgiveness will start to take place.
I’m so thankful that forgiveness is not one-dimensional (most days) because I have learned so much about myself as I have grieved. I have had to embrace the reality that my hurts can have layers and as they are pulled back Jesus in his gentle voice reveals I have not forgiven freely. Like I said most days I am thankful for the journey.
