Today's Scripture Reading (October 22, 2026): Isaiah 43
Forgiveness is one of the
most misunderstood concepts of our time. We often think forgiveness means
letting someone else "off the hook" for what they did. Forgiveness
means not holding them responsible, maybe not even making them feel bad for the
actions they took that hurt us. When we say we will never forgive, we think we
mean we will never let them rest from the bad feeling deep inside them that
comes from knowing they hurt us in some way. They will always carry the guilt
because they are unforgiven. However, reality is somewhat different. For the
most part, the people we hold grudges against seldom know that we are holding a
grudge, only that we are acting like idiots. Even if they realize we hold a
grudge, they often don't know exactly why. Nor are they staying up at night
worrying about it. We who hold the grudge are the only ones doing that. The
real stupidity in our unwillingness to forgive is that we pay the double
penalty; we pay for the act committed against us, and we keep that act fresh in
our lives, paying the price over and over again in our memory, because we will
not forgive and we will never forget.
Forgiveness is simply
letting ourselves off the hook for what others have done to us. A few years
ago, I had numerous conversations with a woman who felt she had been wronged.
She could recount every action taken against her, and not only could she do this,
but she also practiced remembering it daily. Every day, she recounted the
crimes committed against her, reliving the pain of her enemies' actions. As a
result, her sleep, health, and even her ability to do her regular chores
suffered. She constantly relived the terrible moments, vowing never to forgive.
In this case, I was also in contact with those who had taken action against
her. Unsurprisingly, they seldom gave this woman a second thought. They
believed their actions were necessary, that she was irrational, and that
nothing in their lives had changed because of her. The woman paid a double
penalty while those she held a grudge against got off free, even though they
were unforgiven.
Isaiah's words in this
passage remind us of God's forgiveness of us. Often, we read these words
through our theological glasses. We believe this passage speaks of his love for
us, his love for the lost that is so great that even the most heinous of sinners
can find forgiveness at the cross; the debt that needed to be paid for sins has
been paid. God paid it himself, and to welcome us into his family, God no
longer even remembers the sins for which Jesus paid.
What God has paid for, he
has truly forgotten. Even God refuses to be hurt by our repeated sins against
Him and His holiness. What we do with the sins he paid for and removed from his
presence, and the life we choose to live, is entirely up to us because God no
longer remembers them.
Tomorrow's
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 44
No comments:
Post a Comment