The Power of Forgiveness

We've been forgiven, so why do we make it so complicated to forgive others?

This past weekend people all over the world remembered and celebrated the day that Jesus conquered death so that we may live. He died on the cross for our sins and our mistakes although he was not deserving at all. And yet if we ask for forgiveness, all our sins, our mistakes, and all the times we fall short of God's commands for our lives, we are completely forgiven. We become new, we become whole, and we are freed from the burden of our own sins.

            When you think about Christ and the cross and how easily He stretched out his arms and took the nails in his hands to give us life and forgiveness, how can you not forgive others of the wrongdoings that they've done against you? As we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, it's also a time to ask Christ for forgiveness, to ask others for forgiveness, and to forgive others of the things they've done against us... Even if they don't deserve forgiveness, because in reality we aren't deserving of Christ's forgiveness either. 

 I’ll be the first to say that forgiveness isn’t easy. But I’ll also be the first to say that holding a grudge and so much bitterness and contempt for someone isn’t that much easier. Instead, it can easily begin to tear you apart. Scripture even tells us that if we can’t forgive others of the wrongs they have done against us, then why should God forgive us?

“For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” – Matthew 6:14-15

If you want to feel true freedom, it is important to not only find forgiveness in Christ, but to also forgive others. In Corinthians we learn that real love keeps no record of wrong. Having the power to forgive others also gives us the power to truly love others. To love like Jesus and to live like Jesus, we have to learn to forgive like Jesus. When we read that following Christ means to “take up your cross,” maybe this is one of its meanings. Maybe taking up your cross is letting go of the anger, turning the other cheek, and forgiving people no matter what they’ve done. 

“We must develop and maintain the capacity to forgive. He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”

- Martin Luther King, Jr.