There are a significant amount of actions that people can take that may seem difficult to forgive; however, there are a significantly greater amount of reasons to forgive every one of these actions. No matter what.
You see, we all have a great deal of different life experiences that brought us to where we are today. We all have heaps upon heaps of hurt and brokenness inside of us that define our very being. Because of all this experience and brokenness that defines us, we find it incredibly easy and painless to justify why we are so unable to forgive the ones that made us this way and the ones that are currently breaking our spirits.
We have all made ourselves feel okay about holding grudges or holding back our full personalities with certain people that have wronged us. We have all rationalized with behaving less than loving or less than our best with certain people that have belittled and betrayed us.
Considering this, have we taken time to think about the cross? Have we thought about the ultimate forgiveness that Christ has shown us?
The world will encourage you to stay bitter. The world will tell you that it is perfectly alright to ignore people that have done something to hurt you. The world will be right there to help you justify intentionally hurting the feelings of others as "pay back" for what has been done to you. The world will also fall short of what you need to sustain a life full of genuine joy, peace, strength and endurance.
God will remind you that you received more forgiveness than you can even comprehend. God will tell you that because He loves you, you can love whoever it is that broke you. God will encourage you to look at the people that broke your heart the way that He looks at you, someone who once broke His heart. God will also never fall short of what you need to sustain a life full of genuine joy, peace, strength and endurance.
1 John 4:11(NIV) makes this very clear by saying "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." Let us note that it says "one another," and not "just the people that have not wronged us" or "most everyone." God loves all of us, so we all need to treat others with the love that He has shown us.
Matthew 18:33(NIV) also points out how we should view forgiveness as well by saying "Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?" This parable beautifully illustrates that we need to humbly remember the mercy that we have been shown and respond to it by reflecting our forgiveness to those around us.
Mark 11:25(NIV) reaffirms that we ought to forgive others as well, "[a]nd when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins." God started a chain reaction of forgiveness that we are called to continue and partake in.
All of this to say, the ultimate thing we need to do when it comes to dealing with pain and brokenness is to forgive those who caused the pain. Whatever that may look like. Forgiveness is not always an easy process, but it is something that we must do. Do not be chained to the frustration of an unforgiving heart, but rather, forgive those who do not deserve it, as we have also been forgiven far beyond anything that we deserve.
