“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25
As Christians, we are called to forgive. In order to receive the forgiveness that Christ has for us, we need to turn to Him with a forgiving heart ourselves. That is easier said than done.
Forgiving someone is hard. A lot of times we will think we have forgiven, but in reality we still hold it over them. As creatures of the flesh, we like holding grudges. I have said many times that I have forgiven someone, later to bring it up as a defense mechanism. I have said “Hey, you did ______ to me and I forgave you.” Or the famous, “How can you be still be mad at me? You did _____, which is much worse.” The fact that I am so quick to point out those faults is evidence enough that I haven’t forgiven.
Forgiveness is all about grace. When Jesus died on that cross He took our sins. We were cleansed by His blood. That was it! God looks at us like we are white as snow because Jesus is bearing the weight of our sins. When we repent and confess, we are washed again. Like it says in 1 John 1:9…. “If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
So as Christians we need to forgive and be forgiven. We need to love because He first loved us. That can be hard when you are dealing with friends. It can be even harder if they are more of an acquaintance.
During Wiki Chapel, a question was asked that I wanted to answer. How do you deal with a person that you don’t like and you forgive them, but you just can’t stand them?
So…. how do you forgive someone that drives you crazy? It’s hard. First you need to pray. It’s a lot easier to forgive if you are filled with the fruits of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22)
The Bible says we should love everyone. It does not say we need to be best friends with everyone. Sometimes it’s almost impossible to have patience with someone who is habitually bothering you. You still need to show them the love of Christ. I know it sounds simple, but if someone is bothering you, just ignore it. If people don’t get a reaction from you, then they will think they are wasting their time. Many times, they will stop doing whatever they are doing. Even then, that will not solve all problems. The truth is, you can’t control other people. You can only control yourself. Part of being mature is dealing with people that you don’t like as much as others. Life will be filled with them. You need to show them the love and respect Jesus showed in the Bible. Jesus wasn’t best buddies with the Pharisees, but he didn’t cuss at them and smite them. He loved them still, because God is love! So, when it comes down to it, God is love. That means we need to love, because He first loved us. We are not perfect. We need to ask God to forgive us and confess our sins. He will! Then it’s is our job to follow that example and forgive those who trespass against us!
