QUICK TO FORGIVE
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, "Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?" — Matthew 18:21
"Papa, I left my Gameboy inside the movie theater!" my son Jason said. It had been almost 10 minutes since we left the moviehouse. We ran back to the theater. The next batch of moviegoers were already filing in. I was anxious we wouldn't find his Gameboy anymore.
We rushed to the place where we had been seated but we only saw empty seats. My emotions were shifting from anxiety to anger when Jason said, "Papa, please forgive me for losing my video game."
I didn't know how to react. I just replied, "Don't worry, it's just a toy." Then, as if on queue, the maintenance man approached us and asked if we were looking for a video game. He told us to proceed to their office so we could claim it.
Jesus teaches us to forgive repeatedly because God is always willing to forgive us. His concept of forgiveness is very different from ours. We are choosy about who to forgive while He forgives all who return to Him. While we take longer to pardon, God forgives immediately. God's great love for us will always surpass our sins, whether big or small. Alvin Fabella (alvinfabella@yahoo.com)
Reflection: When you ask God for forgiveness, do you also remember to forgive those who have offended you?
Lord, when I'm tempted to withhold forgiveness, remind me that You forgive my sins even when I don't deserve it.
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More notes from this e-mail:
"Forgiveness is about making a choice to let go of the hurt that someone has done to us, and trying to restore the relationship that has been damaged. |
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Forgiveness is rarely easy or simple. It is usually complicated and messy, particularly if issues have been left to fester and grow bigger over time. Most people need some time to cool down before the decision to forgive can be properly addressed, but this should never be an excuse to keep delaying a decision, as the longer it takes to forgive, the more difficult it can become."
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