Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
— Luke 23:34 (NIV)
This month we are talking about forgiveness because it’s something we all have to deal with. We deal with it in various ways. Some may ignore it and pretend it never happened while burying feelings which later pop up in other areas. Some get angry and vow to hold a grudge until the person apologizes. When this happens, the scenario gets worse and worse in our mind. Others give in to self pity and wallow in feelings of rejection and unworthiness. And unhealthy physical symptoms come.
No doubt about it, when someone does us wrong, we get hurt. And it is very important that we deal with that hurt. Facing it and dealing with it is a must if we want to get free and be healed from it, whether the person ever apologizes or not.
Sometimes our way of dealing with it is to say, “Well, I forgive them but I’m never going to talk to them again. I want them out of my life”. The problem with this is that we are not facing the issue and just saying you forgive is not actually forgiving.
Jesus exemplified complete forgiveness for us. Of course, we may justify our feelings by saying, “Well, Jesus was God. He could forgive”. But as I’ve stated before, He gave up all his privileges and Godly characteristics when he became an authentic human being. (Philippians 2:6-7) Therefore, he had all the feelings of hurt, self pity, anger, offense and judgment that we have. He had to deal with them the same as we do.
As a human being, Jesus did only good for people. He had compassion on them and took care of their needs. Yet in his greatest need of support, the people turned against him. They called him names, spit on him, allowed him to be beaten and then called for his crucifixion. Jesus was not immune to how that made him feel. Yet, he did not allow himself to dwell in self pity, anger, or offense. Instead, he put himself in their place and cried out to his Father, “Forgive them for they don’t know what they are doing”. Really?! After all the wrong that was done to him, this is what he said.
The only way we can do this is by choosing to allow the Holy Spirit to help us send away the negative feelings and put on the new person we are. This is what Jesus had to do. It takes effort and a decision. Tell Jesus how you feel. He wants to help you.
To encourage you, listen to Proverbs 8:32 from The Passion translation.
“So listen, my sons and daughters, to everything I tell you, for nothing will bring you more joy than following my ways. Choose God’s way of forgiveness and be free!
“The Sea of Forgetfulness is a no-fishing zone”
You Get What You Plant