I want to talk to you today about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
That’s how God demonstrated on the cross how he loves us. He calls us to act in this way towards one another as well.
What have you valued?
“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Matthew 6:14
In this passage from Matthew 6 Jesus teaches us about the importance of releasing forgiveness. He underscores in that sentence how the forgiveness we offer others is linked to the forgiveness we receive from Him.
Forgiveness shouldn’t be a choice for us, it should already be one of our foundations. When we offer forgiveness we can experience the fullness of the Father’s forgiveness.
We are not perfect, we all make mistakes at some point. We are often inflexible. When we demand of the people around us that they be perfect, we seem to erase from our minds the fact that we fail too.
To forgive is to say that we value the relationship and communion more than the pain and anguish that exist in pride.
Beloved in failure
“Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?”
Matthew 18:33
You know what’s the coolest thing about God’s forgiveness? He made us and knows how flawed we are. He lives inside us daily and knows our intimate. He knows the wrong thoughts, the disobedient actions, the hurtful words we utter. Even so, He abides in us and continually offers us His forgiveness and His grace.
If He who is perfect chooses to forgive us, we who have failed so badly should not have such a hard time releasing forgiveness for those who have wronged us.
People have already wrong me and, when some time later they recognized the mistake and asked me for forgiveness, I received them and forgave them. I’ve never had a hard time forgiving, because I’ve already made a LOT of mistakes. I’ve hurt people with actions and words, I’ve let myself be missed, I’ve been absent. And I’m glad they forgave me, that they welcomed me back.
Many times we make mistakes trying to get it right, other times we make mistakes because we are blind to some situations, and that’s ok. We can ask for forgiveness and change direction. The ability to forgive comes from the ability we have to recognize our own mistakes. We can’t give to the other what we don’t release for ourselves.
Be compassionate with yourself
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”
Mark 11:25
At times I was very mean to myself. I didn’t forgive myself, I wasn’t compassionate with myself. Today I want to invite you to forgive yourself. Understand that you are human and that you make mistakes, that you may have slipped up on something but that it’s never too late to start over and fix what was broken.
Don’t blame yourself so much. Release forgiveness upon yourself, ask the Father for forgiveness already knowing that He will forgive you. That way, you’ll be lighter to forgive other people more easily. If you don’t recognize your mistakes and failures as human and amenable to repair and forgiveness, forgiving others will become a burden for you.
At first it hurts and it’s hard to recognize our own faults, but when it becomes part of our lives, we will start to live well with ourselves and with other people. Forgiveness reconciles us with ourselves, with God and with our brothers and sisters. This is restorative and allows us to experience the fullness of the Father’s love.
God bless you!
