Forgiveness (05/21/2025)

Yesterday, I had a grief session scheduled. Between the weather and my not yet feeling 100% after surgery, I made the decision to cancel. I felt badly about doing that because the participants look forward to the gatherings, but I just didn’t feel that I could facilitate it properly. I put together a text message for everyone explaining the cancellation. But then at 7 p.m., when the meeting was due to begin, I got a call. It was then that I realized I had not had everyone on the text.

I felt terrible about my mistake and apologized. And immediately, I heard the caller’s gracious acceptance, forgiveness of my mistake and her inconvenience, and a sincere inquiry into how my recovery was going. I felt an immediate release of tension and a sense of being tended to even though it was me who was supposed to be tending.

In case you haven’t already guessed or figured it out, I make a lot of mistakes, and I have had to learn to sincerely apologize. I would say it is one of my “gifts” because I’ve had to use it so very often. But rarely have I had someone so quickly and so sincerely accept my apology and forgive me. And she modeled so well for me Christ’s example of seeing the other. She saw me and she realized my situation, and, in that moment, it wasn’t all about her – it was about us and our relationship.

The LORD never wastes an opportunity to teach us if we will simply open ourselves to His Spirit and to His love. I give thanks for my friend’s openness to the Spirit and her sincere concern for me. I give thanks for her willingness to see me and hear me even though she was the one impacted by my mistake.

After that call, I thought of our world today and the emotions that appear to be so easily stirred in the current environment. I wondered how I could bring the lesson I learned yesterday to others. And then it dawned on me, I have the blog.

Forgiveness of another is so central to our journey that it comes immediately after asking the LORD for the provisions necessary to live. “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” If we think about it, the need for us to forgive occurs on a daily basis. Sometimes, it is for small slights or insensitivities. At other times it is for grievous transgressions. But Jesus was pretty adamant about forgiving; recall the Prodigal Son parable, Jesus’ treatment of the woman caught in adultery, Jesus’ forgiveness of Peter and allowing Him to express His love for Christ three times. Most of all, recall Jesus upon the cross, innocent and yet bearing with love our sins and through His sacrifice winning forgiveness and redemption for us all.

There are many things we need to learn for this journey. We need to learn to pray. We need to learn to trust in the LORD and to seek the LORD’s will over our own. We need to learn to believe in the LORD even when it doesn’t make sense in our human logic. This week I realized how important learning to ask forgiveness and to give forgiveness is to our journey. If we think about it, it is obvious. Forgiveness is central to Jesus’ message and to His mission for our salvation.

May we all, with care and with love, seek the LORD’s help is becoming instruments of His peace most especially in our openness to and willingness for forgiveness. Let us commit to setting down those hurts before His cross and picking up in their stead the peace He so want to give us.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.