Forgiveness as an action...

Forgiveness has come to define my life in Christ. I was not raised in a Christian home and did not really come to know Christ until I was an adult. The choices that I had made up to that time had been simultaneously self-serving and self-destructive. When I came face to face with Jesus and realized that His grace and His grace alone saved me, I was overcome with sorrow and gratitude. That He could forgive me! It was too amazing to comprehend. Luke 7:47 (NIV) states, “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little.” How I could relate to the sinful woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears! My tears have fallen at His feet so often. My love is so immense because His forgiveness is so great.

Once I realized God’s forgiveness, then the process of forgiving others began. It was not an easy task. There were so many people in my life, that I felt, didn’t deserve my forgiveness. There was one in particular, “Uncle Ray,”—a man who had been a good friend of the family from the time I was eight until I was eleven. He would often care for my sister and me while our mother was out, and during that time he committed unmentionable things to me. Surely, he didn’t deserve to be forgiven? But then God would always gently remind me that I didn’t deserve His forgiveness, either. Yet, there it was, free and clear. Through prayer and faith, God gave me the forgiveness that I needed to move forward in my walk with Him. I’ve been moving forward daily, convinced that all wounds from the past had been healed and forgiven. That is until Sunday.

One of the points Pastor Mike made in his sermon on forgiveness is that we need to express it to our offender. He stressed the importance of dealing with the sin and offering our forgiveness. Suddenly, I realized that I had never done this with Ray, and when faced with the reality of offering him my forgiveness, I became conscious of the fact that I didn’t want to offer it. But then I was reminded that my forgiveness might make an eternal difference, and if that’s the case, who am I to withhold that from another person, no matter what the offense? I have an opportunity to offer Ray what God offered me—freedom from shame! I recognized that I could never live with the guilt of knowing that I had an opportunity to demonstrate God’s grace to another and didn’t do it.

Forgiveness of some offences cannot be found within us, but through the power of God it comes easily. Especially if we step back and realize that without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we, too, might commit the same crimes. I have not yet written my letter to Ray, but I know that it must be written. It is something that I will need to pray about and perhaps receive counsel on how it should be written. One thing I do know is that it must speak only of forgiveness and not condemnation. After all, isn’t that what we have received from God?

Kim Hebenstreit