Forgiveness

What does it mean to forgive? We often treat forgiveness as though it were a trivial matter. “Tell him you’re sorry!” And that’s that.

Does forgiving mean expressing forgiveness? Is it the forgiven person’s feeling of relief, of freedom from the guilt of the wrong? Is it the wronged person’s release of hurt, of a grudge, of desire for revenge?

Does forgiveness mean that the person who has been wronged accepts the consequences of that wrong? That the person who has been wronged shoulders the burden of the sin by releasing the one who was truly at fault from the consequences of that sin? The one who was sinned against accepts and bears the consequences of that sin.

“Sometimes the consequences last.” Grief, sorrow, disgust, anger, release... rewind, replay. Where does it end? Why can it not be gathered up and thrown to the wind? Why does it continue to hurt, to wound, to return like a persistent stomach-ache... deep and seemingly without hope of relief.

It is too easy to ask, “Why me?!” What did I do to deserve this? Why must I be the one to bear the pain?

I am reminded to look to One who has borne the sin of us all. It is easy to be disgusted and hurt by the sin we see in other people, but what of our own sin? We are broken people, treating so casually our little ‘quirks’ and pet sins, our ingrained habits, our finger in the face of Almighty God.

“Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.”