Why don’t we use forgiveness more often?
Not to long ago I was sitting in church and our pastor said something that I can not forget.
“Why don’t we use forgiveness more?”
Sit on that for a second. How do you feel about what he said?
It took me back to a conversation with some friends a couple of years ago. I remember feeling like I was doing something wrong. I forgave an old friend who had wronged me many times, my friend thought I was “too forgiving” that I let people take advantage of me and forgive people to easily. I remembered I cried and thought twice about what they had said.
Was forgiving someone over and over not ok?
Yes it is ok. I have always prided myself on being there for people and on forgiving people and giving a second chance for I hope that one day they will do the same if it came down to it. I like being “there person”
70 X 7
Mathew 18:21-22
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?
“No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!
There you have it fellow Christians. 70 X 7
That is 490 times. But the point of this is that we can forgive and it does not matter how many times we do it. Now I am not saying that forgiving people is easy and it can take time (a lot of time) and this is something that being human is all about. We do have feelings and they do get hurt and broken. But to forgive is something higher than we can all imagine.
Mathew 6:14-15
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
So why not forgive more often. We believe in a religion that lets you forgive (there are not many out there) Be kind, be that person. Forgive, you do not have to forget.