Forgiveness…. Hmmm… forgiveness can be tough. We may have been hurt by someone and feel we need an apology in order to feel closure for whats been done to us. And in some cases an apology is simply not enough…. Some of us can be tough to deal with, as in the person who is the cause of the pain and hurt. And that person may feel like they have nothing to be remorseful for, due to pride or lack of consideration.
Listen, we all tend to generally be selfish, naturally. It’s in our human nature to be. We make sure that we feed ourselves, clothe ourselves, pursue happiness for ourselves. The person who first acknowledges such a thing can rest a sure that there can be closure without any sort of an apology. But first and foremost, the only One who can show (as a living example to all) you or even give you the closure is through Christ Jesus. Trust me, He was the ultimate forgiver here on earth. The ONLY One who can say they were perfect and did no wrong, yet was wrongfully accused, beaten, and killed. And even amidst all He went through He still forgave…. It says in:
Luke chapter 23 verse 34, “Then said Jesus, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.'” .
WOW! Can I have a dose of that kind of forgiveness and peace! A peace that surpasses all. To say the least I am grateful to have such a Savior. Someone who loves me even at my worst. Jesus was beaten, ridiculed, spit upon, and treated like He was worthless. Anything but what He really deserved. To be worshiped while He was physically on Earth. Everyone should have trembled at His feet bowing in honor of His ultimate glory, in gratitude for creating us. But He did not demand that, He allowed those whose eye’s were open to who He was, to love and worship Him. He not once turned someone away who showed affection toward Him, because they didn’t ask for forgiveness. And if someone was required to request to be forgiven He did not have to expose that by telling that person. His glory alone exposed the sins of the sinner automatically. All the while never demanding forgiveness because it’s the least that we can do for our Creator. He never places guilt on top of a person feeling remorseful. He always allows us to come forward with our imperfections without force, because His love is gracious and merciful. Jesus can righteously accuse us and point the finger to expose all our wrongful deeds but He does none of that. With that, who are we as sinners, imperfect beings, able to demand the same as if we were some sort of god. I don’t think so! Jesus never walked around puffed up, pompously saying, “Your a sinner! I’m your King, bow down!” NEVER. He is modest, humble, peacefully under control, all things we should be. He is THE greatest example… and my friend we need to be more like Him. And when we strive to be like Him, He gives us peace. The sort of peace where we need not an apology to have closure, the closure is in Him. This life is a phase we will go through, a test of love, as a creation to show we choose to love our Creator. All that we do counts, EVERY SECOND MATTERS.
All in all, what I am trying to get at is, I’ve been hurt emotionally, and rarely receive an apology if not, none, whatsoever. And over the years I have always harbored resentment and bitterness. Until this past year. I have been a Believer since the age of 12. In the past 3 to 4 years I have learned an immense amount in just that short period alone, than I have ever in the years prior. The Lord revealed to me in a moment when I was feeling defeated, asking Him, “Lord, what do I do, forgive me for feeling this way, please take away this bitterness…” He gently revealed to me that I don’t need an apology, what I needed was to forgive without the request to forgive. Suddenly, peace came upon me, I felt no worry, no bitterness. As I accepted that, the Lord let me know that this is what He wanted me to do. And since then, I have to say, THANK YOU LORD! By revealing that to me and allowing me to accept the concept, it took a weight off my shoulders. A heavy weight that I was carrying in which Jesus already carried on the cross that dreadful yet glorious day. I realized He had already forgiven me for all that I had done and will do in the future before I even asked for it. All because of one thing, “Unconditional Love”. You see, Christ doesn’t need us to ask for forgiveness before He can love us. He loves us no matter what the circumstance. Now, that is not an excuse to take advantage of God’s grace and mercy. Cause if you love someone you will not think twice about taking advantage of them. So we should not do that to Him either. Now I know what I need to feel comforted, I need to depend more on Jesus, look to Jesus through everything for everything. To be focused on my relationship with Jesus than on what is going on right that moment. Not to look at the circumstance as it seemed at that moment and to know that there is more to it than meets the eye.
It says in Ephesians 6:12, ” For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
Let’s not forget that. And remember to look beyond the circumstance of the moment and see that there is more to it than what meets the eye. The enemy would have it just that way to take our eyes off the Lord in such a way emotionally in which we become impaired and make judgement’s based on our flesh instead of giving it up to the Lord in prayer. You might say, well I’m not going to be a door mat and allow people to walk all over me. It’s beyond that, it’s learning how to deny yourself and not allowing the enemy to frazzle you up. Learning to have faith, that God will take care of all things. Jesus did just that. He didn’t allow Himself to become angered at what they were saying/doing to him. Instead He brought it all to our Father in Heaven. He prayed. And He prayed. Just before He knew He was going to be betrayed and captured, He prayed. Asking (Mark 14:36):
“And He said, ‘Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.'”
Jesus asked the Father to deliver Him from what He knew was going to happen. But in obedience had Faith that in the end it would all work to the good of the Father. I want to be more like Jesus, He is the ultimate example, He really is. It can be difficult, but like labor pains are to a woman giving birth, so are the pains of this world and the sin in it. But the joy will come in the end, when we are faithful to Him and lean on Him instead of other sinners, in which we tend to rely on more often than not. He gives us peace, amongst the storm.
With that, I pray you have been blessed with what the Lord has revealed to me. Entrust all your cares and worries to the Lord and He will give you peace and rest. If you just can’t seem to grasp this, pray, pray, pray. And you must read the Word of God. Asking through prayer for Him to reveal to you what you need to see and hear to understand what He wants for you. This is vital. God wants you to have faith in Him to believe He can do any and all things if we just believe in Him. The journey may be rough and bumpy along the way, but have faith and ask the Lord to strengthen you. Keep your eyes on Him always. And know that if we ask the Lord for something and we don’t receive it; He’s got something else that’s better for you, that hasn’t yet been revealed to you. We might want to ask, “Lord, what do you want me to learn from this and how can I glorify you through this all?”. He wants nothing but the best for you and what works best for you as an individual, and not what may work for someone else. We may not always understand His ways, but in the end, ultimately, it’s the best. Be diligent. Keep the faith and you will reap the benefits of that obedience.
Thank you for listening and God Bless!
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