Liberating and Transforming
To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him. (Daniel 9:9 NKJV)
Forgiveness is undoubtedly challenging, yet it’s a fundamental facet of Christian living. Jesus not only taught about this important virtue, He was also a living example of it. In Luke 9 Jesus is not welcome in a Samaritan village because He’s on His way to Jerusalem. The disciples are so enraged at the villagers’ reaction that they offer to call down fire from heaven to burn them up.
Jesus reminds them that He did not come to destroy lives, but to save them.
A story is told of a special-duty nurse who was called upon to care for a man who was responsible for the wrongful imprisonment of her father years before. She was reluctant to take the case—but does so knowing that her father, who had been a minister, would want her to have a forgiving heart. In spite of the man’s grumpy disposition, the nurse exhibited a kind, patient attitude—and eventually had the opportunity to share her faith in God with him. In the end, so won over by her love and kindness, he financed a new addition to the hospital and named it after the nurse’s father.
I must confess that the tendency to harbor resentment comes very easily for me. But I have learned to reflect on the times I’ve needed forgiveness from others for having offended them. As challenging as a virtue as forgiveness may be, once it’s obtained and exercised, there is nothing more liberating and transforming. [1]
Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude. - Martin Luther King Jr.
[1] Anchor The Forgiveness Challenge
