February 25, 2024- Written by David Glick
If you are like me, I struggle with keeping score. If someone has hurt me I find it difficult to move past the hurts that the painful experience has brought to me. Since I was adopted and even though I was placed into a wonderful home, I still dealt with angry issues at my biological parents. It led to many years of struggling to forgive people in life because quite frankly I had not forgiven my biological family. But God met me in my pain and helped me realize that He had worked things for His good for my life. Once I gave that hurt to Him and forgave those previous hurts it allowed me to remove a weight of pain off of my shoulders and realize just how much God loved me.
The Easter season is a good time to remember what true forgiveness looks like. Jesus, who lived a perfect life, took the sins of humanity and gave His life freely so we can have forgiveness of our sin. It also reminds one of what Paul said in Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Paul also sought forgiveness when encountered by the light on his Damascus journey. The light pointed Paul to the true Light of Jesus. Once he was a zealous Pharisee that persecuted Christians and when the light got ahold of his life Paul became a zealous Jesus follower that experienced true forgiveness that only Jesus can bring. This Easter may we be kind and compassionate and willing to forgive others just like Jesus did when He forgave us. May we experience the life change that Paul experienced when He encountered the true Light. May we experience the weight of forgiving others like I felt when we radically forgive others.
For Him,
Pastor David
