In the words of C.S. Lewis, “We all agree that forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we have to practice it.” It is so much easier to talk about it than to really offer it to someone who has hurt or offended us in some way. The tendency is to harbor the resentment, feed the nagging desire for revenge, rationalize or justify our right to be upset, or just to ignore it and hope that the feelings of bitterness will all just go away. In reality, forgiveness is undoubtedly one of the clearest ways to make love visible and to live in the light of God’s love.
When God looked through the eyes of His infinite love for mankind, for you and me, and realized that sending His One and Only Son to pay the price for our sin so that He could offer us forgiveness, He didn’t hesitate. He didn’t spare Jesus the pain and suffering that He experienced. He didn’t look for other options. For Him, forgiveness was the only option that absolute love demanded. And “Jesus did not cling to His divine privileges, but willingly humbled Himself and died” in our place so that we could be forgiven, so that we could become children of the living God. (Philippians 2: 6-8) It means that every day we can come into His presence and receive the promise of His forgiveness and the strength to give His love in the same way to others.
Oh the pure joy of willingly, even eagerly, receiving forgiveness from the Lord Jesus so that we can feel free to give to others as we have been given!
The Promise of FORGIVENESS I John 1: 9
