ForgottenWoman

It may be said that there are a few “simple” steps for the process of forgiveness…  Many have spoken on and written about these or similar processes. Yes, we’ll look at these in the future.  “Simple” to say and put on paper – not so “simple” to live out. The list is simply a jumping off point!

1. Acknowledge the wound. Forgiveness is only necessary when there is a real wound. So, we cannot pretend it isn’t there; or bury it and think it will go away. Own it. This happened, and it affected me in this way.
2. Recognize that healing comes from God.   The person who wounded you cannot make you whole; only God can do that. Whatever healing needs to look like, intentionally embrace that from God.
3. Make a conscious decision to forgive. The time will come when you will need to choose to let it go. You’ve been clenching onto the pain that has turned into or will turn into bitterness; you’re now choosing to open your hand and release it.
4. Let God’s forgiveness flow through you. You’re right; you can’t do this yourself.  When I am truly grateful for the forgiveness God has extended to me, then I can let that same grace flow through me in this circumstance.   “Father, I’m not sure I can forgive. Please help me.”  (Remember that for those things that are too great for me to say,  “I forgive!” the blood of Jesus is great enough to handle!)
5. Keep moving forward. Your feelings will usually take time to catch up with your decision. Your hand may try to pick up the bitterness repeatedly.  Keep coming back to that decision to forgive to let it go again.   

Let’s pause here in our conversation and let me tell you what I KNOW is running through some of your minds.  “I don’t have anyone I need to forgive.  I’ve already done all that.”

“I’m not one to hold a grudge – I just ‘Let it go!’ so I don’t really need this!”“You have no idea what has been done to me.  There is no way I’ll ever forgive that one person.”

“I’ve moved on from all of my painful life experiences.  They don’t affect me, so I don’t need this.”“I’m doing just fine.  I’m tough and nothing has affected me or hindered me from being who God created me to be.”  

Now, let me be as direct as I know how to be.  Forgiveness isn’t something that ANY of us have mastered – whether we believe we have or not.  In fact, there is what I call shallow forgiveness and God-like forgiveness.   Shallow forgiveness is fine – if you want to be fine.  God-like forgiveness is the goal if you want to be more like Jesus.  So, even if you are one who has the above thoughts running through your head;  please continue on with me.  I believe there is much God wants to do in our lives!Let’s start at the very beginning…  My own need for Forgiveness.  I’m not even thinking about human-to-human forgiveness here.  I’m thinking about my own need for God’s forgiveness.  When I began speaking about forgiveness it appeared that I assumed everyone in the room was a believer. I say appears;  because I never assume this anymore.  Do you know how many times in the past year I’ve heard the words,  “I was born a Christian,”  or “I’ve always been a Christian,”  or “Mom and Dad were believers and took me to church every Sunday so…” or “I’ve always tried to do the right thing.”   I’m realizing more and more that a true understanding of what it means to be a Christian is lacking – even inside our church buildings.  So, this is where we are starting!  

I was born a sinner in need of the forgiveness of Almighty God.  Period.  We all went astray like sheep, each going his own way. (Isaiah 53:6)

 All have gone astray. We are all like lost sheep who have wandered away from the LORD who is our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1). We have all turned away from God. We have each gone our own way, not God’s way.The LORD looks down from heaven on mankind to find a man of understanding, a man mindful of God. All have turned bad, altogether foul; there is none who does good, not even one. (Psalm 14:2-3)

Again we see the word all. In the eyes of God (the only eyes that matter) there is not one good person on the face of the earth. Not one of us can live the kind of righteous life that God demands. Scripture reveals what man is really like because Scripture was written from God’s point of view.  Yes, it is true that in the eyes of many men,  we seem to be somewhat good. However, how do we stand in the eyes of God? Remember this important truth: “For not as man sees does the LORD see; man sees only what is visible, but the LORD sees into the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7).Scripture makes it very clear that all men have sinned and stand guilty before the Judge of all the earth. Even David said, “Indeed I was born with iniquity; with sin, my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:7). Solomon wrote, “For there is not one good man on earth who does what is best and doesn’t err” (Eccl. 7:20). Jeremiah said, “Most devious is the heart; It is perverse [the Hebrew term means ‘incurably sick’]—who can fathom it?” (Jer. 17:9). Isaiah said, “We have all become like an unclean thing, and all our virtues like a filthy rag…our iniquities, like a wind, carry us off” (Isaiah 64:6). Isaiah, when confronted with the awesome holiness of God, confessed his own sinfulness: “Woe is me; I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:4). It is clear that man’s basic and greatest problem is sin and our greatest need is FORGIVENESS.

God promised and provided forgiveness through a Savior.He did not die for a few; He died for the many. The One died for all.  He bore our guilt and was punished for our sins. Sin demands death (see Genesis 2:17) and see also Ezekiel 18:4). Jesus died instead of us and paid the death penalty in full. The LORD, who is the righteous Judge of all the earth, is now completely satisfied that sin’s penalty has been paid. Because of what the Messiah did for us, the LORD is able to provide for us complete forgiveness of sins: “For I will forgive their iniquities and remember their sins no more” (Jeremiah 31:34)

Stop and think about this… He forgives completely and remembers our sin no more!Romans 6:23  “The wages of sin is death – but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Romans 5:8   “But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us!”John 3:16  “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!”  

Whew!  When I REALLY look at the forgiveness of God offered to you and me,  it is humbling, it is life transforming and it should completely change my perspective.  The Holy, Righteous, Almighty God chooses to forgive me – who am I to withhold forgiveness of another sinful human? Without an understanding of the beauty of the gospel, you and I are unable to live out true forgiveness of one another in our lives!  I hope you are ready to stick with me through this deep dive into Biblical Forgiveness. I promise you that this won’t be a shallow look – it will be the kind of look that reaches down into the deep crevices of our hearts and lives and if we allow it to – it will change us! To be more like Jesus: that is the goal of this journey!

But…