Why Forgiveness is Key

“When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.

 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.” Luke 23:33-34

I’m about to make you privy to some of my dirty laundry…..forgiveness does not come easy or natural to me. I discovered this the hard way after my dad passed away a little over a decade ago. To say there was dysfunction, abuse and challenges in my home as I was growing up would be an understatement. I didn’t even know the peace I craved until years later when mentorship and then counseling led me to forgive my Dad….and I believe it gave me back the wings I never knew had been clipped. At the very core of that freedom Jesus issued me a challenge I will never forget: to forgive even when I didn’t feel it was deserved. 

The funny thing about Jesus is, he’s always right. Always. 

So as I put my hand in his, and followed his lead some extraordinary things happened in my life. One, forgiving my Dad, began a deeper work of  healing in me. Two, forgiveness allowed me to reconnect with the love of God in a way that unforgiveness had hindered. We have no idea how far the power of forgiveness stretches in our lives, but I want to encourage you to forgive from the depths of me, because it is vitally important.

I’ll be honest, forgiveness was not something I was intentionally ignoring. It’s just when offenses, wounds and pain pile up….so do your defenses. If you aren’t watchful, you can let bitterness in too. These guys will do nothing but misguide you if you let them drive the ship. All wounds this side of heaven have the potential to drive us into or away from the arms of Jesus, and the decision for either lies squarely at our own feet. Take a cue from me and learn from my mistakes: making the choice to forgive is worth whatever it may cost you. 

While there are ample encouragements through Scripture on the essentials of forgiveness this passage from Luke 23 resonates  because of the undeniable example of forgiveness by Jesus on the cross. In the middle of his pain, agony, and public torture…..he’s asking God the Father to forgive us. His heart is to pardon our sin, because he pays the cost for it himself, and not hold our utter foolishness against us. Why? Why in the world would Jesus do this incredibly demonstrative act of forgiveness in the middle of his anguish? As the forerunner of our faith, I believe that he did it as the purest example of what love is: forgiveness, even when it hurts, is always a choice. 

I’m not here to say that forgiveness is something that you just say, or do and sweep the blatant offense under the carpet ignoring that it ever happened. But forgiveness actually causes us to have fellowship with Jesus because we walk in his example. We don’t ignore the pain, we connect with Jesus in the midst of it, because we want to honor him, and need his love and empowerment to walk out forgiveness. We need a supernatural God to do a supernatural work in us, because forgiveness itself is supernatural.

Does it hurt? Yes. It is easy? No. Will it cost us? Probably. But the alternative is our choice of holding onto an offense that Jesus already hung on the cross to pay for. Anything less than forgiving, dismisses what he has already covered by his sacrifice. And while I know that this is easier said than done, I also know that making the choice to forgive is made possible by the one who calls us to forgive, just as he forgave our wretchedness that put him on the cross in the first place. We stand in grace just as the person who wronged us did, and that leaves us all in a place of needing Jesus. 

So much love,

Joy