It’s funny how I could put what it is looks like to forgive and extend grace into a box that works for me, but Jesus does it, no limitations, no exceptions.
For a while, I had a different view of forgiveness. It was a phrase I used, but my heart was far from it. A few weeks ago my old paradigm was shattered by a simple phrase by Kris Valloton. He said, “Forgiveness restores the standard”. My heart was immediately challenged. What does this mean? What does that look like? For me, I think of myself when I accepted Jesus into my life. When i repented and all that, He forgave me and I was restored. No longer does He see me as a sinner, but as a saint, His righteous daughter. For me, having heard this new perspective on forgiveness, when I forgive someone I’m restoring their standard in my life. When I look at them, I’m not seeing all the ways they hurt or disappointed me or all the ways they could. If we have a fight. I’m not digging up what was and bringing it to what is. Kris V said it best, “Once you forgive someone you cannot use a past offense to justify a present offense. When you forgive someone, you give up the right to use that [past offense] in the next court case”. Imagine if whenever we came to God for forgiveness, He pulled out a list of all the things we’ve done wrong or how many times we’ve asked forgiveness for the same thing prior to the moment, wouldn’t feel so great right? In actuality, that would be a form of condemnation, and guess what? thats not in His nature. Romans 8:1-2 states it clearly. So it is with us and forgiving those who’ve hurt us.
You see, we are called to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1-2) in EVERY CAPACITY, that includes forgiveness and showing grace, no strings attached. Think about it, when we ask God for forgiveness He forgets about it in that moment. Isaiah 43:25 says it beautifully, “I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins” [NASB]. When He looks at us, He doesn’t see what we did wrong. He doesn’t remember it. He responds in love, keeping no record of wrong (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). We are called to that standard. As sons and daughters, imitators of Christ, we are to forgive, love, and extend grace just as Christ did. Also, when we walk in forgiveness, we are walking in love, and love throws away the list of bad. When we forgive, we not only restore the standard but, we also place people and relationships where they are suppose to be in our hearts, not where we’d like them to be, but where they are meant to be.
No, forgiveness isn’t a cake walk, Kris V says, “forgiveness is not an act of my emotion, but an act of my will”. With that being said, forgiveness is not based on how we feel. It’s not fickle like our emotions can be. It is birthed out of our will that pushes past our present emotional state. Know that forgiveness is not an impossibility. We are called to do it. I believe it is something that should be second nature to us. Do I have it down? not yet, BUT, I’m positioning myself to get to that place where forgiveness is not boiled down to a trite phrase of “I forgive you” while my heart is still holding offense. I desire it to be a reality that I live from daily. I desire for people to look at me and know that I’m not condemning them, that they are forgiven, and that they are loved. I want people to see Christ in me. Because, guys, we are the full expression of God’s love on this earth. When people see us, they should see God. They should encounter His heart, His grace, and His forgiveness. For many, we are their first interaction with God. So, what are we giving them?
Til next time,
D