(The
forgiveness Series 2)
5 June 2016
Have you ever been hurt before? I sure
have, devastatingly so. It's easy to advice someone to forgive and forget. But reality
is, forgiveness is one of the most difficult things in life - not when your
heart had been ripped apart with betrayal, pain or loss.
I went through baptism of fire in
forgiveness when I was hurt in the Christendom. As Christians we have (very)
high standards and expectations of each other - after all we are meant to be
holy and righteous. We put people on pedestal.
We expect people to be righteous
because God says He has made us so through the blood of Jesus. You know what, I
have reflected and mused and come to the conclusion that only God can see
people as righteous. He has to, for Him to be able to relate with us. I see
people including myself as fallible, imperfect as long as we are still in this
human flesh.
Going back to my baptism of fire. It
was a journey. I must confess, I would have left the Christendom if I was a new
babe in Christ. My rose tinted Christian glasses was knocked off and it
shattered into many pieces never to be put together again. I had expectations
of how Christians should behave - Christ like and my expectation was cut short.
I thank God for His Holy Spirit that
used this experience as a training process for me. I needed to work on myself.
Was I reflecting Christ in my own behaviour? Maybe, maybe not. I became more
conscious of Christ's expectation as a Kingdom citizen. Remember Jesus'
teaching; take the plank out of your own eyes before complaining about others.
I began to work on my character. It was
and it is not easy. It's a lifetime process. The experience thought me that it
is easy to see other people's short coming but we all have it. Was I reflecting
the expectations I had of other people? Irrespective of what people do to me, I
will be judged for my own actions not theirs. If I don't forgive and let go, I
will be judged for it.
Never put anyone on any pedestal. They
will fall. I am learning to shrug things off. Life is too short to fill it with
offence.
Lastly and something that requires
consistent prayers is seeing people not through the lens of righteousness
(leave that to God) but through Christ eyes - with agape love. It is only
through this agape lens that love can cover a multitude of sin. Not by
ourselves but through the power of the Holy Spirit. No matter what people do to
you, Jesus still loves them.
Yep, He does because He died for those
that committed that unforgivable sin in our eyes. So, who am I not to forgive?
I pray the Holy Spirit will fill us
more and with abundance of grace to love with agape. Remember, if your heart is filled with un-forgiveness, there will not be any space for agape love. Empty it of offence and fill it with agape love.
How about you?
