Sin. It tears us away from God. What many people don't realize is that God is not the one who moves away from us. We are the ones -- who by committing sin -- separate ourselves from Him. In failing to realize this, we also do not realize, that the only thing keeping us from going back to God, is our guilt - our pride. But the reality of all of this, is that God is always waiting, always wanting to accept us back into His arms.
Does this not then indicate how incomprehensible God's love is to us as mere humans? That He does not give us pre-mature judgement, but rather accepts us, gives us a chance to return to Him, and then upon our return welcomes us back into His loving embrace? Does this not lead us to conclude that OUR God is a God of love and forgiveness.
Does Christ not speak of the good shepherd who after losing one of his one hundred sheep, return in search of the one he has lost, until he finds it? The truth is there is no love greater than His love. No mercy, greater than His.
How is it then -- While all of us feel grateful for the mercy and forgiveness that we readily receive from our Creator -- that we ourselves struggle greatly in offering forgiveness to those who have offended us?
It is that we are not like God. We are not overflowing with Mercy and Graces. Some of us go a lifetime harboring hatred for those that have mistreated them.
Despite our humanity, God commands us to forgive one another just as He has forgiven us for all our wrong doings. He even goes as far as saying that if we cannot forgive one another, He will deny us forgiveness of our trespasses. God will not fully free us from our inequities unless we too free others of theirs. Ergo, forgiveness is a gift and when we give this gift to others, we also give this gift to ourselves.
Nevertheless forgiveness does not come easy to us. Why? Because it is part of our human nature to protect ourselves. It is a primitive survival reflex to remember what hurt us and never return to it, or to try not to allow ourselves to be hurt by it again.
It is only by the grace of the Holy Spirit that we are able to go against our human instincts and really forgive and let go of all the pain and fear that we feel.
Now, let's say for a minute that you are like me, and that forgiving someone -- despite wanting to -- does not come as easily to you. I have found a way that works for me. That way is to logically forgive a person, on the grounds that I too am human and that I often make mistakes, am imperfect and despite that do not feel a dire need to protect myself from myself.
Why?
Because despite my imperfections, and what I dislike about myself. Despite the stupid things I do and the hatred I might harbor for the actions that I commit against myself, another and God, one thing does not change; Although I don't always like myself; I always love myself.
You see; God doesn't necessarily ask us to like one another, or to like the actions we commit, or the things we say, but He does require us to love one another. It is not enough to tolerate each other, or to turn the other cheek. We must bring ourselves to realize that we love ourselves despite our imperfections, just like God loves us despite our imperfections.
'Everybody thinks forgiveness, is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive' C.S Lewis.
So next time you are wronged by someone, remember a time when you wronged someone else, and put yourself in that person's shoes. God see's everything and he knows what is in each of our hearts, He does own them after all.
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