Forgiveness

One of the hardest, yet important things that Jesus tells us to do is to forgive others. I was reminded again yesterday of just how hard that can be when my wife and I went to see the new movie, "Invictus." At one point Mandela tells one of the other characters that, in order for the country to survive, they must learn to forgive. Later on, one of the characters asks himself, having visited Robin Island, how someone forgives those who have imprisoned him for 27 years, as Mandela did his captors. It is impossible to overestimate the value of forgiveness. And this is primarily because not forgiving seldom hurts the one we will not forgive, but always enslaves those of us who won't forgive. Perhaps that is why Jesus places such emphasis on it. We all know that Jesus told us that God will not forgive those who will not forgive others. Could it be that the reason He will not do it is because we would not accept it? Have we made ourselves the kind of people for whom forgiveness is unworkable when we refuse to forgive others? I know it can be hard to forgive others. But what Jesus says is that it is even harder when we don't.

Pastor Ken