The Gift of Forgiveness

I've lived long enough to have my share of experiences where apologies are owed either to me or from me. Humbleness and humility are not always easy to master. As a follower of Christ, I pray regularly that I learn to practice these qualities well. As a mother, I offer forgiveness freely to you, my daughters, just as our heavenly father offers it to us. I'm also quick to apologize to you when necessary not just because I owe you an apology but also because I want you to see that forgiveness is a beautiful gift for both the forgiver and the forgiven. In fact forgiveness is often more healing for the person offering it than it is for the person receiving it. My heart is that I never hurt someone requiring me to apologize, but I recognize that I am human and all humans, some more than others, are sinful by nature. I pray that I am ALWAYS aware when my actions result in the need for me to humble myself and apologize.

So, what do you do when the apology that is owed to you never comes? By far my hardest time with this concept came several years ago when we realized that the only way we could move forward and regain our lives after Dad's accident was to forgive the drunk driver that forever changed our lives when he hit Dad and severely injured his spine. That young drunk had absolutely no remorse for his actions, but our anger was holding us back from embracing the new life God had for us. After a lot of prayer, God freed us from that anger and opened our hearts to forgive him. It was life transforming for us once we forgave him.

Occasionally there will be times that you may be hurt by another Christian. I'll admit from my own experience, the pain can be much deeper when it comes from a Christian rather than an unbeliever. I tell you this because they may not ask for forgiveness despite the fact that they serve the same God you serve. All you can do is pray. Pray that God would open their eyes to the pain they caused you and pray that God will give you a heart of forgiveness even if that apology is never offered. I promise you, forgiving them will heal you more than you could ever imagine.

Girls, please know how much you are loved and although I pray regularly that you won't have to experience the pain that life can bring, God will use all the pain that comes your way to mold you and grow you into the woman He desires you to be. Embrace His love, forgive freely and live a life of humbleness and humility so that forgiveness becomes a natural characteristic of your life.

My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's
power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Grace is a word I've used to define my life. By "grace," I mean God's unbelievable gift of forgiveness despite my unworthiness. It took me a long time to truly wrap my mind around God's grace. It wasn't until my early 30's that I completely let go of the guilt and shame I'd carried with me up until that point. Although I had been a Christian for awhile at that point, I hadn't released everything to Him. As much as I loved the Lord and had faith in Him, I was still holding onto several aspects of my life; I went with His Will only when it was my will and for some unexplainable reason, I just couldn't let go of that guilt and shame. Although the circumstances that caused that shame were so painful, I'd lived with that pain so long that it had become a part of me. It wasn't until the months following John's accident that I poured myself into prayer and scripture in a way I never had before. During that time, God convicted my heart so much that I slowly released my firm grasp on my guilt and shame. I AM a child of God and God loves me NO MATTER what. My sins died with Christ on that cross and I've been washed white as snow, as long as I'm willing to receive it. Wow! How sweet it is to rest in His grace!

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in
accordance with the riches of God's grace. Ephesians 1:7

Around my mid 30's a new word started to define my life. That word is redemption. God's redemption didn't replace His grace, rather, it complimented it. As you see from the verse above in Ephesians, grace and redemption go hand-in-hand. I know God's redeeming love has always been with me, but around that time in my life, the circumstances of that period of my life gave redemption a whole new meaning to me. I was walking through another "growth spurt," in other words, I was going through a difficult time where God was molding me and growing my faith. Some of the things I had began to "expect" to always be there for me, were being moved around and even some were being completely removed from my life. I'm sure many of you can relate to how uncomfortable it is to be removed from your "comfort zone." That's when God's sweet redemption was poured out on me. Our God is a REDEEMER and whatever He takes from us is for our own good and He is ALWAYS faithful to redeem and ALWAYS gives back in great measure. In my case, I count everything I lost as well worth all He gave back to me because of my faith and obedience to His call on my life.

Therefore, sweet daughters, please know that nothing you ever experience in life keeps you from the grace and remption of God's amazing love. Absolutely nothing can keep you from your Heavenly Father that loves you so much that He spread out His arms and died for YOU!