Forgiveness is hard to talk about to pretty much anyone. Every person has had someone hurt them in the past, possibly in life-altering ways, and forgiveness is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the ones at fault.

I am not talking about forgiving the person who shoved past you in a hallway or even someone who always seems rude - I’m talking about forgiveness for those who have wronged you deeply. I’m talking about forgiveness for the kinds of people who go to jail, the ones who have committed murder, sex crimes, robbery, drug crimes…the list goes on. I am talking about forgiving the worst of the worst.

How is that possible? You may ask. These people don’t deserve forgiveness! That is completely true, but that brings me to the main point of this entire article:

They deserve forgiveness as much as we do…which is not at all.

Romans 3:10 states, “…There is no one righteous, not even one.”

We as Christians sometimes put ourselves on pedestals with the mentality that we are somehow better than any other person. In God’s eyes, no one is righteous. No person has a better claim to Heaven than another based on good deeds or being a good person. A woman who runs an orphanage has no better chance at getting into Heaven than a murderer based on good works.

That is why God sent Jesus down to Earth, not so that good people can look down from a righteous platform, but so that those who need forgiveness most can look to Heaven. Jesus is the only bridge between us and God and it is only through Him that people are saved. That salvation is available to everybody, even those who commit the worst crimes.

Acts 2:21 says, “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Recall that Jesus, in His time on Earth, hung out with people society cast out or hated. He even hung out with tax collectors. Jesus loved them despite their flaws mistakes, as He loves us today.

God calls us to forgive repeatedly in the Bible.

Ephesians 4:32 tells us to “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.”

Recently, I heard a quote that struck a chord in my soul and has stuck with me ever since:

“The people who need mercy the most are the ones who deserve it the least.”

Nobody deserves God’s forgiveness, yet He offers it to everyone no matter the magnitude of their mistakes. He simply wants us to accept that forgiveness and turn away from our sins. As far as salvation goes, we are all on the same playing field because we are all sinners who need to be forgiven.

Forgiveness is hard and can definitely be a long process sometimes. I am not saying to forget, because that can be quite harmful, but to remember that forgiveness is a gift God offers to everybody. Why not pay it forward?