I have had to forgive.”
~ Susan Hunt
I’m not there.
But I want to be.
Chapter 10, “The Cornerstone of Forgiveness,” encourages me to grow in that direction even more. If we want to be the kind of Christian who helps others heal from their hurts, we need to get this one down a bit better.
Equipped to forgive
As we learn to forgive, we drink deeper from God’s fountain of grace. As it satisfies, it also equips; we’re more prepared to give others the directions to that fountain.
Author Susan Hunt illustrates this forgiveness cycle by repeating Abigail’s story in 1 Samuel 25. Abigail’s husband Nabal was a gruff man, and he displayed that at an inopportune time when David asked him for help. Nabal refused. So Abigail took it upon herself to intervene.
What does this have to do with forgiveness?
Abigail strongly encouraged David to forgive both her presumption in approaching David (1 Sam 25:28) as well as forgive Nabal’s foolishness. She didn’t want David to have an avenging murder on his record (1 Sam 25:31).
How could she do this? Susan suggests it’s because Abigail must have practiced forgiveness herself, having survived a marriage with Nabal for years. Abigail was said to be discerning and beautiful (1 Sam 25:3); assume that means more than looking pretty.
Like Abigail, if we want to help others, we also need to have worked through our own issues. Because of our own experiences with forgiving, we can encourage and equip others to do likewise.
Only forgivers can teach forgiveness with the credibility that is necessary to be believable.
Challenge
Chapter 10 closes with a challenge:
If there is anyone you are having difficulty forgiving, make a list of what it will cost you to forgive and what it will cost you not to forgive. Then, by God’s grace, forgive.
I need to take that challenge. How about you?
* * *
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31, 32
Summary of previous chapters
Next week: Ch 11, “Comfort the Comfortless”
1 comment:
This is a good challenge. It bothers me to think that I could hold on to unfovgiveness in my heart when I know HOW MUCH I've been forgiven... and there is some work I need to do in this area. That's very convicting. Thanks for the thoughts.
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