Part of the human experience is the emotions we feel. Through these emotions we know joy, love, happiness, contentment and a host of other positive values. Not all of our emotions are as pleasant, as we also feel pain, hurt and sorrow. Sometimes, we inflict these feelings on each other, and because of their intensity, we may find it hard to forgive. The pain can be so great that we think we can never forgive.
As we know what it is to feel pain and sorrow, so does our Heavenly Father. Each time the word grief or grieve is used in Scripture about God, it is always due to sin, our sin. God was grieved during the days of Noah because the thoughts of humanity were “only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). King Saul grieved God because of his disobedience (1 Samuel 15:11). By our sins we can grieve the Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30). Our sins have demanded a price, which is the blood of the only Son of God. How much sorrow has each of our sins caused?
Still, God loved us enough to send His Son that we might know His forgiveness. God’s forgiveness is complete, never holding a grudge, never recalling forgiven sins to gain an advantage. Once sins are forgiven by God, they are forgotten (Hebrews 8:12). God offers us an example for the attitude that we should have for one another. “And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ” (Ephesians 4:32).
Since we are human, we will know both joy and pain, happiness and sorrow. Since we are recipients of the mercy of God, we know forgiveness through His Son. How can we refuse to forgive? Jesus said we should always be willing to forgive (Matthew 19:21ff), for the one who is unforgiving to others will be unforgiven by God (Matthew 6:14-15).
There will always be the need for forgiveness, whether for or by us. When you are asked to forgive, remember your need for forgiveness, and respond as your Father has for those who seek His forgiveness in Christ, offering it from a loving heart and a humble spirit. “Brothers, if someone is caught in any wrongdoing, you who are spiritual should restore such a person with a gentle spirit, watching out for yourselves so you also won’t be tempted. Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:1-2).
