FORGIVENESS
“Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. “ Matthew 18: 21-22
How many times have you been the victim of someone else’s ill treatment? How many times have you been lied on or had your name meet you on the highway? No matter the sin, the hurtful deed causes a rush of emotion. We go through a series of questions in our minds: “What did I do to deserve this? Why is this happening? After all, I’ve done for him/her, how could this be happening? Should I confront him/her?”
Initially, we simply want to get to the root of the problem. For that brief period of time, we may overlook scripture because we’re angry. We’ve been done wrong and we want the “culprit” to suffer just as much agony as we are. Once the moment passes and we remember who we belong to, our thought process changes. We begin to cry out to God, asking for help in the situation. We call on Him to heal our wounded spirits. Our hearts become so engorged that we can hardly sit. And before we know anything, the words “Lord, have mercy” begin to roll off our tongue.
In August 2009, I was the victim of an attempted carjacking. What was so shocking was the fact that I was at home, under my carport, minding my own business. How dare this stranger come onto my property and try to take something I worked so hard for. That was one of the scariest nights of my life. I was sitting in my truck on the phone when I heard someone shake my door handle. I thought it was my son because he loves joking around. Just as I reached to unlock the door (without even looking up), something (Holy Spirit) told me to look around. When I turned, there was a man standing there with what appeared to be a knife. He demanded that I unlock the door. He began to beat the window as hard as he could to break the glass. But, God is my protector, my shield. He could not break it no matter how hard he hit. I sped out of the driveway as fast as I could. My family was inside the house so I started to pray as I called the police. I don’t remember ever praying so hard, so persistently. God encamped angels all around us and kept each of us safe. Replaying it all in my mind I cringed at the thought of my family being hurt. Some people asked why I didn’t blow my horn. If I had done that, my family would have come out and someone could have been injured. God was with me through the entire ordeal. What are the odds of any of us sitting in our vehicles with the motor running and windows up, especially with the price of gas these days? God prepared me for the enemy’s attack that night. He shielded me from his grasp and I am so grateful.
What came next was actually going to identify the young man as the carjacker. I found out that he was only 19 years old. Although overcome with emotion, I began to pray each time I thought of him. Not only did I pray for his safety while in jail but I asked God to help his mother through this ordeal. In order to pray for him, I had to look past what he did. I had to see him through my spiritual eyes. God allowed me to do that. God helped me to forgive him for that horrible night. I know that his coming to my house instead of the neighbors’ was God protecting him as well. God sent him to a home where someone would pray for him. And those prayers would help in some way, whether the young man actually realized it on that particular night or years after. I don’t harbor any ill thoughts or resentment toward s him, none at all. I think of what happened and I tell people about it. However, it’s not in a negative way. When I share that part of my life, it’s to show others how good God is.
I admit that it isn’t always easy to forgive people for what they’ve done to us. It takes courage because in order to truly forgive, we must leave the transgression in the past. When we do that, it causes us to move forward without actually paying attention to reminders of what happened years ago. It means not bringing those individuals who have done us wrong under subjection any longer. Forgiveness is one of the most honorable things we can do. Why? It’s honorable because it’s what Christ did. He was hung on a cross for things He didn’t do. Through all the bloodshed, Jesus was still able to forgive the sins committed against Him. The love in His heart never ceased to flow. In our daily lives, each of us must strive to be more and more like Christ.
We can achieve that by allowing God complete control over lives, giving Him authority over our actions. But before that can be done, we must first invite God into our hearts which enables love to transform us. Our thoughts begin to change. We are able to see individuals in a different light. Love will become a part of us and that love will give us the strength to forgive our brothers and sisters no matter what they’ve done. Remember “Love conquers all”, and “God is Love”.