Matthew 6:12
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Our 13-year-old cats are fairly asocial. They particularly do not like sudden movements, loud noises… and children. Ironically, our little ones like Timothy and my cousin Owen want nothing more than to get close to the cats. They so want to see them, touch them, talk to them… and become friends! So one day when Owen bent down in front of a chair that housed our cat, Lucy, she reached out and gave him a declawed swat on the head. Owen was devastated. He cried, “That kitty hit me! Why that kitty not like me?” We all justified Lucy’s little swat as a reaction to someone she didn’t know – an innate fear and dislike of something unfamiliar. And even Owen still asks every time, “Where are the kitties?” Although he has not forgotten the swat, he has forgiven the cat!
Isn’t it funny that we can forgive the outburst of a small animal… but not of a human being? We can readily understand – and excuse – the behavior of a pet that reacts to particular situations and circumstances, but we have no compassion for people who are responding out of their own fears and stresses.
I’m not saying that people have a license to be rude and disgruntled – or to gripe, complain and snap at others and expect to be given a free pass. But we often react to others quickly – and rashly – (if only in our thoughts) and fail to consider what may be their “back-story”… what may be really happening within their heart and mind. More importantly, we don’t see how often we do the very same thing… toward others, and toward God. We snap, we are rude, brash, unkind, judgmental and uncaring… and we expect God and others to forgive and forget our own lapses.
I’m pretty sure that most of us have a deep desire for forgiveness. We want God to bury the hatchet and offer us a chance to make a fresh start – and we want this from our human counterparts, as well. What we don’t realize is that we have to make the first move. We have to let bygones be bygones with others and reconcile our differences in order to unblock our own forgiveness.
The more you put this into practice, the easier it becomes… and the more you see areas where you need to offer mercy and compassion to others. When you stop and consider how you feel when you are judged and unforgiven… how much you desire God’s grace and understanding in your own life… you will see more clearly how important it is that you forgive others in the same way.
The most important thing you say today could possibly be, “I am willing to forgive one person.” If you can say that you are willing to stop judging and criticizing others, or harboring ill feelings toward even one person, you will have taken a step closer to operating in God’s love and redemption. As we strive to walk more closely with Jesus every day – to emulate His tenderness and affection for us in our daily living – amazing things will happen. We will be released from the burdens of our own recklessness. We will have the peace of God’s forgiveness – and knowing His pleasure as we forgive others.
Who are you willing to forgive today?
©2012 Debbie Robus
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