I Forgive You
We've been talking about this phrase, please forgive me, all week, but let me teach you another phrase as the week comes to a close - and it's the phrase I forgive you.
You know, guilt is one thing that can block serenity and peace, but even worse is unforgiveness and bitterness. When we harbour unforgiveness in our hearts, we say goodbye to serenity, and we give the devil legal ground in our hearts to have his way. Peace and serenity simply cannot infiltrate an unforgiving heart.
Let's go back to that parable of Jesus in Matthew 18. The servant who owed 10,000 bags of gold to the master was forgiven and set free, his debt cancelled. And yet he was unwilling to forgive someone who owed him a few coins. And Jesus said that when the master heard this, he revoked the forgiveness that he'd offered the servant.
Forgiven People Forgive
And Jesus said this in other ways. Remember the Lord's Prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
And then just after the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6, Jesus says this: "If you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Ouch.
The phrase I forgive you should be on our lips at all times because we are a forgiven people. And forgiven people forgive.
I'm sure you've heard the old saying that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. It's a pointless exercise. Holding a grudge is pointless, friends. It feels good, but it kills.
Letting Go of the Rope
Now Corrie ten Boom compared forgiveness to letting go of a bell rope. If you've ever seen a country church, the bell in the steeple - you'll remember that to get the bell ringing, you have to tug a rope. And then as long as you keep pulling, the bell keeps ringing.
Corrie ten Boom says forgiveness is letting go of that rope. It's just that simple. But when you do, the bell keeps ringing for a while. That momentum is still there - but if you keep your hands off the rope, the bell will begin to slow, and eventually stop.
And she says it's like that with forgiveness. When you decide to forgive, it's not that those old feelings just disappear. In fact, they might continue to ring for a while because they've had a lot of momentum.
But if you affirm your decision to forgive, and let go of the rope and keep letting go, don’t go back to it! The unforgiving spirit will slow down and eventually be still.
It’s Time To Forgive
Have you been hurt? Have you been deeply scarred by other people? I know this is not easy, but will you say those words I forgive you? Will you let go of the rope of unforgiveness and keep your hands off until the bell stops rining?
The path to peace an d serenity demands it.
After all, Paul said, in Colossians 3:13, “bear with each other and forgive one another, if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
And so my prayer for you and for me is that on our lips will always be two phrases: Please forgive me, asking God and others to forgive us; and the phrase I forgive you, flowing to others, so we can truly be in a union of two forgivers with God.
