Forgiveness. What an ugly word?

You might think we, as Americans (not to mention citizens of the Kingdom of God) believe forgiveness to be a dirty word.  I say that, because it seams like every time I bring it up to students, peers, or even my elders, I get some snide comment, or a look of derision that would suggest that either the person I’m talking to is “above” forgiving others, or that the offense they have endured is to heinous to let go.  It’s almost as though we have conditioned ourselves to hold grudges, in order that we wont be hurt again.  But there’s nothing that would suggest that if you become a bitter old bag of wind, that you would never be hurt again.  On the contrary, when bitterness builds inside you, hurt will eventually be all you can feel. 

Forgiveness is a hard thing, but that doesn’t make it a bad thing.  We have been given a mandate to forgive, and as believers we must begin to share this discipline with others, in order that we are able to receive forgiveness. (Matthew 6:12)

The first step, for me, in forgiveness was when I admitted to a close friend that I had made some serious mistakes while I was in my former church. 

-I admitted that a number of issues that had come up had not been in my job description, but I tried to handle them anyway.  (See ‘Don’t Fight the Pastor’s Battles…’) 

Regardless of my justification of these activities in the past, I know now that I never should have been involved. 

-I admitted that I had failed my church, by failing in my personal walk with the Lord. 

From big to small, I had allowed the evil one to creep in and lie to me.  I entertained notions that he gave to me about my value, and how important I was to the church.

-I admitted that I had failed…that I had come up short… 

This was a HUGE struggle, but brought with it, the greatest sense of relief.  I am amazed how liberating it has been for me, now that I’m not trying to figure out how to blame someone else for all the stuff that went wrong. 

Forgiveness takes humility, and admitting that you are as culpable as the next person for the failures of your church is a great place to start.  When we rest in the Lord, and when we take time to be healed, we have to start by ending the war that many of us are waging against others in the church. 

Sharing forgiveness starts when you realize you are also in need of forgiveness…