What does perfect forgiveness look like? I think that perfect forgiveness is complete restoration of a relationship to the state it was prior to the offense.
For instance, if my best friend forgets my birthday, it may hurt my feelings, but he’s my best friend for a reason, so it will not be hard for me to forgive him and restore the relationship to its pre-offense state, especially if he apologizes.
But what about the big offenses? What about the huge ones? What about the most terrible ones? I’m sure that I am not alone in my experiences. There was a time in my life that I was naïve and believed that I was unique in my experiences. Then I went to Celebrate Recovery. It was amazing how many times I heard my story from another person. The details were different, but the offenses were the same.
I know that there are hurting people in the church and everywhere else for that matter. I know that despite the hurt, people put on a brave face and nobody is the wiser. It is incredible how terrible we humans can be to one another.
Without downplaying the hurt that anyone has experienced, I have to tell you, as I tell myself, we must forgive those who have wronged us. Jesus expects us to forgive. In Matthew 6:12 Jesus taught His disciples to pray:
‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And then he added further emphasis in vs 14 & 15
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.
Can I forgive perfectly as Christ does? I don’t think that it is possible for my human relationships to be perfectly restored. That’s not an excuse, believe me, I am trying, and God has brought me farther than what I ever dreamed possible.
What’s the starting point for forgiveness? The cross of Jesus. I can forgive because I have been forgiven. I can love because God first loved me. I can encourage because I have been encouraged. I can do all things through Christ because Christ has suffered all things for my sake.
Forgiveness is a journey. That sounds mystical; I don’t mean it that way. It’s the truth. It is a journey that God expects us to take.
If nobody else will walk your journey with you, I will. Much more importantly, Jesus will.
God bless you all!
Wes LeFlore (918) 607-8489 or huskerwes1@gmail.com
