Recently, I was reminded of an incident that occurred in 2014, that changed my thinking.
We were low on pet supplies and the store was conveniently on the way to the evening church service. The heavy downpour had settled into a steady rain, so I grabbed my newly purchased umbrella and left early for the pet store. Standing outside of the store, I shook water from the umbrella, placed it in the seat of the shopping cart, and proceeded to make my purchases.
Upon leaving the store, the rain had slowed to an annoying drizzle, so I hurriedly unloaded the purchases into the car, slid the cart into the rack, and started for church. As I was driving, it occurred to me that I had not retrieved my umbrella from the cart. I then headed back to the store, praying that my umbrella would be there.
As I approached the parking lot, I saw a woman backing from the parking space next to the one I had occupied. I quickly checked the baskets for the umbrella and not finding it, entered the store with high hopes that an honest person had turned in the umbrella to “lost and found.” To my dismay and disappointment, the answer was, “No.”
I became upset with God that He hadn’t answered such a simple prayer. God quickly interrupted my thoughts, and in my spirit, I heard His convicting command, “Pray for that person.” Humbled, I asked God to forgive me for my bad attitude as I prayed for the unknown thief.
Arriving at the church early, I settled into a seat, when God spoke into my spirit, “I purposely hid the umbrella from your sight, because that person needed your prayers. I also wanted to teach you to be quick to forgive and to extend grace and mercy to others. If you want to be My disciple then you must always be prepared to extend the same forgiveness, grace, and mercy to others, as I extend to you.”
God’s great love for mankind never ceases to amaze me, that He would interrupt my life and call me to pray for an unknown stranger. More importantly, through this experience, God showed me that my heart and values were not aligned with His heart and what He values as important. We may suffer injustice or the loss of material things, but those things should never hold greater importance than the life and soul of another person.
Forgiveness never accepts or gives sin a free pass; it forgives the sinner. I forgave that person, known to God, and asked Him to bring them to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. And if that person was a Christian, who had succumbed to a moment of temptation, that God would minister His love and truth to them and bring them under conviction for their sin of stealing.
We read Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:14-15, “For 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.” Unforgiveness is a very dangerous road to traverse.
Often, we struggle with forgiving others, because we feel justified in holding negative thoughts and feelings towards the person or persons who have wronged us or who currently wrong us. However, we must never forget that Jesus, who was wronged by false accusations, beatings, and torture, willingly paid the ultimate price for our sins. He had been so badly tortured that “His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any human being and His form marred beyond human likeness” (Isaiah 52:14).
Jesus came to earth and made Himself of no reputation. He came in the likeness of a man and taking the form of a bondservant, humbled Himself, and was obedient unto death. Therefore, God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name, which is above every name,that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven, on the earth, and those under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:6-11).
The day of Jesus’ crucifixion, He set the example for forgiveness when He looked towards heaven and said, “Father, forgive them, for they (all people) do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34 NIV). How can we not forgive others when Jesus’ last act of love was to forgive those who had rejected Him, mocked Him, spit on Him, and brutally beat and disfigured Him. Not only did He forgive those before Him, but He petitioned His Father to extend forgiveness to all humanity. It would then be an individual’s choice to accept or reject God’s love through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Refusing to forgive is far more harmful to the one offended, because unforgiveness puts the offended person in a prison of despair, bitterness, and misery. Only through the act of forgiving can freedom come to love others as Christ loves us.
We might consider the umbrella as a metaphor for God’s forgiveness and love that covers us when we do not deserve it. He patiently waits for us to recognize and acknowledge our sin and then repent and change our ways.
Jesus said and did all things with purpose and set the standard for those who would give their heart to Him. King David, who was a man after God’s heart, knew that he was an imperfect man, so he prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way (anything contrary to You) in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24 KJV). Are we totally surrendered to the Lordship of Christ? Like David, have we asked the Lord to search our hearts? Are we harboring unforgiveness?
Jesus told us tolove our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, that we may be children of our Father in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45). That sets us apart from the world that responds with ungodly, unforgiving behavior.
If you have struggled with unforgiveness (and we all have), and that pain caused by another has not been resolved in your heart, then I encourage you to find healing by forgiving. The following prayer will help you; however, I caution that forgiveness demands more than a one-time prayer; it requires a conscientious effort to pray daily for that person. Depending on the severity of the offense, it may involve days, weeks, and even months of praying. And then one day the realization comes that you no longer harbor anger and unforgiveness. At last, you are free from the bondage of unforgiveness.
PRAYER: FATHER, search me and try me. Forgive me for holding bitterness and unforgiveness in my heart towards ______________. I forgive _______________ and ask that you bless _____________ and deposit truth into (his/her) heart. Only You know the heart of a person. If they don’t know you as Lord and Savior, I ask that you draw them to You by Your Holy Spirit. If they do know You, yet they are living an unauthentic, disingenuous, fraudulent life, then bring them to task and open their eyes and heart to Your truths, Your will, and Your purposes for them. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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