so, in case you haven’t heard or experienced this, let me be the one to tell you, Christ is amazing and perfect. He makes those things which are seemingly impossible, possible. that which we think will crush and consume us, with Christ, vanishes into thin air. once you surrender to His will, you learn that indeed His “yoke is easy, and [His] burden is light.” with Him “all things are possible.” what i love most about Him is how absolutely opposite He is from this world. there is no one like Him. when the world preaches anger, resentment, bitterness, entitlement, personal vindication… He calls us to forgive. oh my, the humility of giving up all claims upon our “rights” as “emotional” creatures who are allowed to feel a certain way… no! i am not allowed to look upon a brother or sister as somehow undeserving of unconditional love and grace because of what they’ve done to me. who am i??? i denounce all our post-modern psycho-babble mumbo jumbo about being allowed to feel certain things and express them as “healthy.” holding on to anger and bitterness as you “process” and “deal” is ridiculous! that is no way to live! and Christ knew it. the times in my life when i have felt most entitled to my anger, Christ has quickly and ever so lovingly stepped in to call me to give it up. why? is it because Christians are a bunch of doormats who allow themselves to be abused and taken advantage of? if Christ were so big and powerful, why would He have willingly gone through the humiliation he endured the day of the Cross? are Christ and His people a big group of lovey-dovey wimps? ABSOLUTELY NOT! forgiveness is painful… for us emotionally, spiritually, etc… and even moreso was it for Christ. He set the ultimate example for us in the pain of forgiveness. however, where there is pain, there is the beauty of reconciliation. that which was separated by sin is brought back together through the covering of grace. as “therapeutic” as it may be to hang on to your anger, the anger will eventually own your soul. there is no life there. therefore, i am eternally grateful to Christ for the times He has so gently called me to forgive when i feel the most entitled to reserve my human right to be angry. yes, i can be angry, sure. God allows for that. but again, there is no peace there. and my soul longs for peace. my most intimate times with the Lord thus far have been the times He calls me to forgive when the world says to “not let that person off the hook so easily.” really? in the face of Christ? how could i not forgive? i mean, don’t get me wrong, i’m not saying i haven’t felt that too. and oh boy, is it tempting to dangle that person’s wrong in their face so that they know they “owe me” or whatever. but how despicable in light of Christ’s mercy would it be to camp there for more than a minute of my life? there is nothing that brings more depth to my faith than forgiving as Christ calls us to forgive. i never feel closer to Him than at those times. i cannot imagine what it was like for Him to suffer what He did for those who hurt Him so deeply and without the slightest display of remorse. what would my life be like if Christ felt it just to “not let me off the hook so easily” for my sins against Him? good golly. therefore, I choose forgiveness. and i PRAISE CHRIST that when He equips us for every good work, and that He will grant any prayer that is in accordance with His will, like forgiving others, no matter what the wrong they’ve committed. all things are possible through Him. i love that He confounds the wisdom of this world. when the world sees grace lived out, it confuses them. and those of us who are believers must in those moments not take the credit for ourselves because we are so “good.” when an outsider questions how we could ever forgive ”that” person, we must boldly and humbly respond that our Savior did the same for us and the rest of the world.
