It is almost never easy to give and can be just as difficult to receive. Even more difficult, can be asking for it. We ask for it from our friends. We ask for it from our enemies. We ask for it from God. We ask for it from ourselves... Forgiveness. Forgiveness can be a difficult pill to swallow. It signifies a mess-up or a wrong-doing. Let's be honest... no one asks for forgiveness for doing everything right.
Every day of our lives we sin and fall short of the glory of God, but there are some moments that stand out more than others. Some replay in our minds over and over again. We ask ourselves what we could have done differently and wonder if things will ever be the same. They keep us up at night and then slip into our dreams once we fall asleep. Two of the most difficult situations to deal with are 1. When you are really hurt someone you care about or 2. When you have done something morally wrong.
"Can we talk?" ... Possibly the three most terrifying words known to man when strung together. Don't lie. You have come in contact with these words before. Your heart speeds up until you feel as though it could pound right out of your chest, your throat seems to close up as you struggle to steady your breathing and your mind races with possibilities of everything you have ever done wrong. It never really gets easier does it? No matter how many times we mess up, it still seems just as hard to admit it and make up for it.
But then there are those mess-ups that happen in the shadows. Those faults that nobody even knows exist. Well... nobody but you. The decisions that you make despite your conscience's plea to turn the other direction. The ones you can cover up with a faked smile despite your guilt destroying you from the inside out. The ones you beg God to forgive you for, but secretly don't believe there is enough forgiveness in the world to cover what you've done.
And the thing is... you're right. There is not enough forgiveness in the world to cover our transgressions, that is why we need God.
The other day I came across a verse that really struck my interest. It isn't one that we see plastered on key chains and DIY canvases on Pintrist. Instead, it was a small verse that just happened to have a large impact. It practically jumped off the page in its efforts to be shared. Psalms 3 is one of David as he is fleeing. Verse 4 says,
"O Lord, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God."
However, this is not where it ends. Verse 5 continues to say,
"But you, O Lord, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
I cried aloud to the Lord,
and he answered me from his holy
hill."
How often do we compare the grace and mercy of GOD to the grace and mercy of PEOPLE?
This was the thought that struck me. I sat and thought of times I was forced to ask for forgiveness for things I had done. I thought about times that I had to forgive others for wronging me. And you know what... it's hard. There are still those that I have to work at every day to try and find forgiveness for them... some that I have still yet to find. But God? God doesn't hold grudges like I do. He is not selfish like I am. He is not prideful like I am. His forgiveness far outweighs my own. Sometimes I think I forget that.
Therefore I felt the need to share that realization for anyone who needed to hear it as much as I did. You can wander to the ends of the earth and you will still have not escaped the reach of the Lord's great mercy. There is no sin too great for him to forgive. It doesn't matter what anyone tells you because God has PROMISED you his forgiveness if you truly desire it. Do not let the imperfections of man cloud your perception of an entirely perfect God.
Your forgiveness is ready... all you have to do now is ask.
