Father won't you forgive them

Yesterday as we worked around the house, my husband was oblivious to the song playing on the radio but I hung on every word.  You see, I am a huge advocate of forgiveness although it is not an easy task to forgive someone who has wronged you.

Ann Lamont wrote "Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and expecting the rat to die."  When I speak or teach on forgiveness, I often say "Not forgiving someone is like you drinking poison expecting the other person to die."

The song on the radio was Losing by Tenth Avenue North.  The lyrics, that were tugging at me were:

Father won't you forgive them? They don't know what they are doing...
Oh, Father give me grace to forgive them, cause I feel like the one losing.

Yup!  I am called to forgive.  The human mind does not often comprehend that.  The human mind comprehends "get even!"  That is what our very soul wants....payback!  To not get that makes me "feel like the one losing."

The God that we serve calls us to forgive.  Yes- you may have been the one offended, yes-you may be the one that lost in the deal, yes-it may have cost a friendship but yes-you are called to forgive.  I bore the burden of not forgiving for many years.  The other person went on living life with no thought to what they had done or how that had affected me for a lifetime. 

Living a Christian life requires us to be obedient.  Forgiveness is a part of that life.  Even Christ as he hung on the cross looked down at his offenders and cried out "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing...[Luke 23:34]

As Christians, we know what is required of us.  I get it!  I know that sometimes the hurt and pain are overwhelming.  I do not make light of this issue.  For some, forgiveness is necessary when they borrow a dress and it's never returned and it costs you the friendship; however, for others, the issue of forgiveness lies in a theft of a precious heirloom or inheritance, a situation where there was a crime involved, or maybe an abuse of power.

Those are big issues.  I have been offended but if I give it thought,  I have also been the offender.  Consider where you would be if Christ had not died to forgive you of your sins or mine. 

That's why the song was so impacting.  I was crying out "I feel like the one losing."  Yet wasn't it our Savior that lost his life to save me?  In light of that situation, what a small price for me to pay....forgiving. 

So today, if there is a situation you need to address through forgiving....don't hesitate.   I understand that it may be painful, I understand that much time may have passed since the offense, and I understand that it may be difficult...but I also understand that we serve a forgiving, loving God and with him, nothing is impossible. 

He took on our sins and He forgave us.  He gave His life for us, to free us from our sins.  Won't you free yourself by forgiving others?  When we forgive, we don't forgive to free others, we forgive to free ourselves from that burden.  You are not losing...in forgiveness, you win!

Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  Colossians 3:13

Struggle CD, Tenth Avenue North-Losing (c) 2012