Forgiveness. We have talked about this topic before. It especially hits home with me because it’s a difficult one for me to do. Not so much when it concerns someone who has wronged me. But when it concerns someone who has wronged a member of my family. I actually have been struggling with this aspect for a while. Someone I have known since childhood, and deeply trusted and loved, wronged my youngest child. And it has been hard for me to forgive them.
But here is why I need to. Here is why we all need to forgive others. Forgiveness leads us to freedom. Freedom from those who have hurt us. If we choose to not forgive, then we are holding ourselves captive. We are basically keeping ourselves in “personal” prison. If we forgive, we can remove the bitterness from our hearts. We can remove the anger and hatred. We can get rid of the idea of getting revenge against whomever caused us harm. Actually, forgiving them is a form of revenge because it removes the incident from our hearts and sets us free! Not them. It frees us!
Now let’s go back in our minds around 2000 years when Jesus was on the cross. Let’s remember what had happened to him prior to the crucifixion. Arrested. Beaten. Whipped. Basically he endured a pain beyond anything we could ever comprehend. Then nailed to the cross, he died a torturous death. And what was it that he did right before he died? He used his last breath to forgive the Romans who had done this to him. He forgave those who were executing him. Wow! What a powerful example for us to follow. I know I need to. We all do. Because Jesus loves us. Always has. Always will.