2 Corinthians 2:10-11
I will forgive anyone you forgive. Yes, for your sake and with Christ as my witness, I have forgiven whatever needed to be forgiven. I have done this to keep Satan from getting the better of us. We all know what goes on in his mind.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Each year for Lent, I add rather than “give up” something. I take this 40-day block and read Rick Warren’s The Purpose Driven Life* again. I think this will be at least my sixth or seventh time to study this book…and each time, I gain fresh and new insights. Yesterday represented “Day 3”…the chapter titled “What Drives Your Life?” Pastor Warren notes that… “Many people are driven by resentment and anger.” He goes on to say that we don’t release our pain and irritation… we “rehearse it over and over” in our minds. He reminds us that “Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent. You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness. For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go.”
I realize this is far more easily said than done. But I believe that Pastor Warren is right. Every single one of us will experience something that either we hold onto and allow to fester and create bitterness…or we forgive the offender and move forward. We don’t have to forget what happened…in fact, we should remember the experience and use it to motivate or remind us to create something positive. But we should not allow this to mold us or shape our future.
Think of Jesus on the cross, when He asked God to…”forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing.”** If Jesus could forgive the heinous atrocities done to Him in that moment… how could we ever think of doing any less in our own lives? I know that a lot of evil exists in this world. I fully understand that you may have been abandoned, bullied, abused, molested…the victim of gossip, a crime or a deceit. I realize that you may be mistreated in the workplace...or even unfairly dismissed. I know that there are a few teachers and coaches who make it very hard on certain students…and many of us will at some point feel like someone ripped out our heart and stomped on it! I totally get it that you may have felt persecuted in some manner – for years. Yes, “bad things happen to good people”…and it’s really, really tough to forgive and move forward sometimes. But we must to this in good faith as Jesus’ followers.
Read this passage from 2 Corinthians again. We must forgive others in order “to keep Satan from getting the better of us.” Let’s be honest…Satan jumps up and down with delight when we flounder, stew and ruminate on our indignations and the injustices that have been set upon us. I am reminded again of sitting at my niece’s basketball game during the state tournament. The other team had come from behind…and with each basket scored, their fans grew more and more raucous. It was absolutely no fun at all to sit a few feet from people who were jumping up and down and screaming with glee…and all at “our” expense. That’s what Satan does when we harbor feelings of un-forgiveness. And I, for one, refuse to allow him that pleasure!
If un-forgiveness is “driving” you today, I urge you to prayerfully beg God to help you release these feelings. In the words of a popular song from a recently-released children’s movie, “Let it go!” Jesus’ act of forgiveness on the cross set the stage for His entire ministry of love, grace, mercy and forgiveness. His torture and mockery have not been forgotten…but they have been transformed into a fuel for reaching the world in His name. We can show others how a man who had every right to hold a grudge “turned the other cheek” and actually interceded on the behalf of His persecutors. And if Jesus can do that, surely we can forgive those who have offended or oppressed us in some manner.
I pray it will be so… for me…for you…for all of us. It gives me great pleasure to picture the devil cowered in the corner or running for his life because he could not conquer us. To imagine myself standing at the feet of Jesus and basking in His glory and pleasure because of my obedience and compassionate spirit – even toward my “enemies” – is a beautiful thing. Where are you standing today?
©2014 Debbie Robus
*The Purpose Driven Life ~ ©2002 Zondervan Press ~ http://purposedrivenlife.com
**Luke 23:34 (CEV)
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