Forgiveness, never easy but a must do
I love teaching Max Lucado’s Bible studies and have recently started listening to his daily devotional. As I was catching up on some of the older ones, the one titled “The Call to Forgive” described forgiveness in such a powerful way. In John 13, Jesus washes the feet of His disciples, all of His disciples including Judas. He knew that Judas would betray Him, yet He did not hesitate to wash his feet just as he did all the other disciples. Wow-how is that as an example of forgiveness? He knowingly washed the feet of the man that would lead Him to suffer and be crucified. Who are we to question the call to forgive when that is the example that has been set? What wrongs could be done to us that are any greater than that?
Jesus tells His disciples that now that He has washed their feet, they “should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14, NIV). He calls them to follow His example and promises them that in doing this, they will be Blessed. God calls us to forgive and not only does He tell us, He provides us a clear example to model after in our own lives.
Jesus became man when He came to walk among us. He felt our emotions, our pain. I can imagine the voice I would hear in my head questioning why Judas deserves to be forgiven and have his feet washed. It is not about Judas, it is about us, the one who forgives. As Max stated, God has already forgiven us for so much more than we can ever possibly forgive others in our lifetime. It is how we live a life to honor God. It is how we declare to all around us that God is not only with us, He is within us. What a gift to be able to let go of that anger, let go of the hate, and to forgive.
I recently traveled this journey of forgiveness and found myself tested on the other side. It is one thing to say you forgive, it is another to live in that forgiveness. We are not close friends and I will not go out of my way to engage, but I know in those chance encounters instead of responding in hate, I whisper a prayer of forgiveness and for their healing and the anger and hate no longer consume me. Again, what a gift we have in being able to forgive. It’s a command that is not easy to follow, but the reward when we do is immeasurable.
Today, I pray that if you have anger in your heart, any anger or hate, that you take a moment and be prayerful and forgive. When you feel that anger creeping in again, that you kneel and pray again. Trust me, you’ll be better for it on the other side. Those that have hurt you have not earned the right to consume so much of your life. God has, let him fill that space in forgiveness.
