forgiveness

I remember one of the first times I questioned if God really meant it when He said "love your enemies... forgive those who have wronged you."

I thought; "God, You have no idea of what You are asking. If You only knew what 'they' have done to me, you wouldn't possibly ask me to forgive them."

Then I thought about Jesus:

betrayed

• with a kiss by one of the twelve men He lived with day in and day out for 3 years

mocked, scorned and ridiculed

• by ones who had hailed Him and sang His praises just days before

beaten and spat upon

• to humiliate Him

falsely accused

• because He threatened the religious community

condemned

• because to release Him would threaten political stability

abandoned by his closest friends

• fear has a way of influencing us to make dumb choices

stripped

• so the whip could more easily tear His skin

scourged to within an inch of death

• bits of bone and glass woven into the leather strips

forced to carry his own cross

• followed by crucifixion, nails driven into His wrists and feet to hold torn His body to the rough wood

and the most dreadful thing He faced?

• being separated from His Father for the very first time, completely innocent, as He hung on that cross paying the penalty for OUR sin

 my accusation that He did not understand was rendered invalid

don't get me wrong,

forgiving is not easy,

sometimes it is a huge challenge

but I find that to be most true when I have my eyes on me,

not when I have my eyes on Him

during this week leading up to Easter

forgiveness is much on my mind 

I ask myself two questions:

Is there anyone I have not forgiven?

Is there anyone I need to seek forgiveness from?

"For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions."

Matthew 6:14-15