Forgiveness

We've all been there, we've all had to face and deal with some form of punishment. When this punishment is over something that we have already been forgiven for, that we have already more than paid the price for, how do we forgive our judge?

As is often the case we are given many choices in life. At times in life we do not make the right choice thus we have a severe consequence to pay. Owning up to and facing and paying that consequence is not always easy.

We must first acknowledge the transgression. We must, whenever possible. make amends and right the situation. How we react to and fulfill this step will say a lot about how far we have come in our lives.

We must face the fact that years from now, we may still be receiving fall out from this act. We may, even through people we once truly thought had forgiven us and were our friends, find that they have not forgiven us but are in fact, speaking or thinking ill of us to this very day. The pain of this newfound knowledge can often be unbearable. Heartbreaking. Often though we had shared our own pain and sorrow with this person, they were too hurting or judging to realize that they have just added to our pain. They don't see what they have just done to us.

How then do we begin to forgive our judge? Remember, we have already been forgiven of this transgression by God, by our families, and by others in our midst. Yet this one person, someone with whom we have shared some of our deepest confidences and dreams, someone we trusted, is still sitting in judgment of us.

When God forgives we know that he forgives us as far as the East is from the West. Have you ever stopped to think about how far that is? When we confess our sins to God, we are forgiven. Just like the woman at the well. Just like Peter when he denied Jesus three times. God is a loving and forgiving God. He alone knows our true hearts. He alone is our judge.

We are all human and thus all subject to temptation, just as Jesus was when he walked upon this earth. When we step out and admit our faults and face them rather than hiding and denying our sin as Adam and Eve did when they were discovered naked in the garden, we begin to heal.

God never made us to be humiliated or talked down to. God has given responsibility and power to the church to restore penitent believers through loving reproof, counsel and acceptance. When we acknowledge directly to those in authority over us, we find a freedom from our burden in the fact that this transgression no longer has a hold over our lives. In our obedience to God we are truly set free, forgiven and left blameless in his sight.

As it clearly states in Psalm 32: "Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit."

In learning to forgive my enemies or those who do me wrong, I have been set free. I am not responsible for another's actions. I am responsible for mine and mine alone. I do not have the right to retaliate but rather should pray for mine enemies. Asking God to show them the same mercy he has shown me in my transgressions.