Hello beautiful people! Let’s talk Nation is back with a not so popular topic called Forgiveness. Forgiveness I believe is easier to do, when someone steps on your toes by mistake, forgets to ask your permission for something, or unintentionally leaves you out on something that you would have loved to be a part of. When the person apologizes, it is straightforward for you to say “its ok," or “it’s no big deal," even if you may be a little bit disappointed. Well, today I am not talking about the little things, but the big things. Can you forgive when someone steals from you, slanders you or unimaginably betrays you? What does the Bible say about forgiveness? Is there a limit to forgiveness? After the defaulter is forgiven, is it safe for the relationship to be restored? Is forgiveness even important? Let's talk about it!
To forgive means to stop being resentful towards someone for an offense, flaw or mistake (according to Google). Yes, forgiveness is essential, because as Christians, the gospel hinges on forgiveness. Christ died as the atonement for our sins. There is a saying that goes "If you can’t forgive, then you don’t know how much you’ve been forgiven of.”
Eye of ebony- unsplash.com
Seventy times Seven
In the Bible, one day Peter came up to Jesus asking "How often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?" Jesus responded saying "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." Here Jesus was trying to get Peter to understand that it was impossible for people not to offend you, and each time an offense comes, we must be willing to forgive. Now that doesn't mean we become doormats for people to walk on, or maintain an unhealthy friendship, we can forgive, but keep certain relationships at arm’s length.
A friend of mine once betrayed me, and it took me a while to fully forgive. Although apologies were never given, I had to forgive so I could move forward with my life. Hating that said friend wasn't going to do me any good, if I hated my friend, then I was going to be just like them. I withholding forgiveness from them was only hindering my relationship with Christ. I had to look past the offense, and forgive. Although we aren't friends anymore, I don't have any animosity against said person.
“And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” Jesus Christ
Why it is important to forgive
It is important to forgive because we have all sinned and are in need of forgiveness from God. If we are not willing to extend mercy to others, why should God forgive us? It doesn't work that way. God has called us to live in unity and harmony; He gives us things freely and expects that we extend such grace to others. This takes me to the parable of the unforgiving servant in the Bible. The servant owed his master; let’s say $100,000 and the master required his payment. When the servant couldn’t come up with the money, the master ordered for the servant to be sold, together with his family, for his payment to be made. I can imagine the terror the servant felt, if you’ve ever been in debt, and then you can understand his feeling. You know like when the creditors start calling you for their money, you start thinking, why did I borrow money in the first place? The servant pleaded with the master to have mercy on him and give him time to make the payment, and the master heeded his request and took it a step further to forgive his debt altogether. Then this servant went and found another servant who owed him like $100 and started harassing him for the money owed to him. The servant asked for mercy as well and time to pay up. But this unforgiving servant refused and ordered for his fellow servant to be thrown in prison until he paid up. You will think he needed the $100 to pay the $100,000 he once owed. The mercy that the master once extended to him, he refused to extend it to others. So when others got wind of it, they were disappointed and went to tell the master what was going on. The master, furious on hearing this, ordered for the unforgiving servant to be thrown in prison and tortured until he paid the last penny.
Diana Simumpande- unsplash.com
This story is just an illustration of the debt God forgave us through the sacrifice of Jesus. The debt we owed God could never be repaid by any of us. But He freely forgave us when we did not even ask for it (The $100,000 debt). Now there is nothing anyone can do to us in this life that can be compared to what we did to God when we were sinners. The offense that our fellow humans can commit against us pales in comparison to what we did to God (The $100 debt). Therefore we must forgive. God doesn't require us to do things He hasn't first done for us. He had called us to forgive because He had first forgiven us our trespasses against Him when we became believers. In that same light, we have to forgive others, and not carry anything to heart. Also be wise, I can't stress this enough. Just because you have forgiven someone, it doesn't mean the person should occupy a position in your life. Some people see it as opportunities to keep hurting you, such relationships are not worthy of reconciliation, at least not immediately. Some people sometimes show you who they are, and you should believe them. It is very okay to love from afar; there is no need for toxicity in your life.
"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." Lewis B. Smedes
Most importantly, it is very crucial that we forgive so our prayers won't go unanswered by God. Jesus in Mark 11 said when we pray, and we have anything against anyone, we should forgive so God too can forgive us our sins. If God hasn't forgiven us our sins, our prayers often go unanswered, and we don't need that. We need no barriers between God and us when we commune with Him; we need an open line of communication.
I hope through this short post, I have been able to open the closed hearts of people who need to forgive those who have hurt them in such a deep way. Just know that God's grace is sufficient for you, remember that you can do it. You will feel so much freer when you let go of that hurt and pain. For some, it may be a parent who left, a spouse who cheated, and a friend who betrayed your trust or a prodigal child. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you can forgive and overcome that hurt and move forward with life.
Please share your stories below, or if you have any intimate questions, you can email us at info@letstalknationblog.com. Until next time, stay blessed, prayed up, and don’t forget that God loves you! I love you all for reading! (Don’t forget to subscribe).