This image is so powerful, because the truth is that in the act of forgiving we ourselves are freed. Yesterday my pastor, who is doing a series on relationships shared on the power of forgiveness as part of his message. One of Jesus' disciples had come to Him asking how many times he should forgive someone who had offended him (Matt. 18:21-22). Thinking he was being generous he suggested, "Up to seven times, Lord?" Jesus reply was [in essence] to forgive so many times you lose count.
I've shared before on forgiveness, but it deserves another go 'round because it is something that trips each of us up from time to time. It can be the little things, the annoyances just in our daily life that want to spin in the hamster wheels of our minds over and over. Last week a co-worker just mentioned aloud to no one in particular a specific task that needed doing. Then a few minutes later she followed it up with an instant message in our group chat asking if someone could take care of it because she was going to need to use it in a few minutes. After allowing it to run in my mental hamster wheel I decided I wanted to act in love and just do the task. As I was doing it I kept reminding myself that I could not allow myself to dwell on it or I would have just defeated my purpose. However, a few minutes later my boss who had observed the whole thing pulled us all together when no clients were present and told us that whoever noticed something needed being done should just do the task. He then proceeded to demonstrate how to do the task so everyone knew how to do it. The original "offender" in a quiet voice said, "I tried to get it done; I sent an instant message." That sent my hamster wheel spinning again and I had to interrupt my thought process once again--reminding myself how unimportant it really was in the big scheme of things.
However, every offense isn't this small or this easy to forgive. There are some real biggies. What if the offender doesn't deserve to be forgiven? This is the real crux of the matter isn't it? We somehow think justice hasn't been served unless the offender gets what they deserve. But who is really in prison--the prison of the mind? It's the person who was offended. It's the person who is stuck on that hamster wheel.
I have determined that I regularly need to ask God if there is some issue I need to forgive, because I am NOT going to live my life in the prison of offense. The person may or may not have been repentant in word or action, but I am not going to let that affect my response. This morning I did just that. I asked God to bring to my mind any offense I hadn't forgiven. Anything that came to my mind I simply said, "If I have not forgiven, I forgive."
Choose with me to step off that hamster wheel and see the prison bars dissolve. Live the life God truly wants for us--freedom!
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