Love Forgives

by Laura Bazal



This chapter...talk about uncomfortable conviction. 

Should we ever expect conviction to be comfortable?  Of course not, as anything convicting points out a flaw that we need to deal with, and usually that flaw, or sin, makes us feel comfortable in the first place.

What place does resentment hold in your heart, mind, and spirit?  Do you go about quickly pursuing the wise way to forgive and forget, or do you hold on to the flaws of the past, present, or projected future and make yourself an idol of superiority over someone else's error?  If you lean more toward the second, then you're not living out Christ's love. 

It's very easy for me to find comfort in resentment.  This is because I really do not like confrontation; if I've been wronged, it often(regrettably) takes me too long to forgive the person, people, group, or organization - whatever it may be.  In all that waiting, I end up doing them wrong, too, and sinning in my own heart by holding onto all that unforgiveness.

Ryken illustrates for us how love is not resentful.  He points out that Jesus, when wronged in a multitude of ways by Peter during the most sensitive of hours, not only confronted and forgave Peter for his betrayal, but He made a point to show his love to him and give him renewed purpose by participating in Christ's life and mission.  Jesus freed Peter from his guilt and restored the relationship Peter had tarnished, and we are called to do the same. 

Forgiveness is freeing - that's was a resounding theme espoused in our small group on Monday.  It's freeing for the person who did wrong, and it's freeing for the person who was wronged.  How are we to live if our life is fueled yet also enslaved by anger and resentment?  No, life comes from those things - only sin and death do. 

Christians are to live in the freedom of Christ, and that's the freedom that gives a person the ability to be fueled by God's love and extend that freeing forgiveness to others. 

Our group also touched on the theme of restoration.  What relationships in your life need to be restored?  I will tell you that this chapter made me think good and hard about who I needed to work with in my life.  It also made me think of the people I need to receive forgiveness from, too. 

Forgiving is hard, but it's mainly hard because hurt can give us an excuse to hold onto pain like a lifeline.  Our life comes from Christ, and we live - and love -  because of his forgiveness.

Finally, Ryken used an example of what it looks like to forgive from the testimony of Kim Phuc, which can be read here. It's poignant, to say the least, and really shows how we should live out forgiveness the way 1st Corinthians calls us to do.

May we all forgive because of the love, the forgiveness, of Christ.