Forgiveness

I want to start off and say that if you have been trying to follow my blogs about the Five Love Languages book, I am sorry that I haven’t kept up with that every night. My days have became quite busier and lately, so many thoughts seem to be filling my mind. I will start out by warning each of you that this blog may offend you, but it is the truth and it’s something that is really on my heart today.

Let start out by talking to you “Christian’s” or “Believers” or whatever you want to call yourselves. You, my dear friends (as a whole) are the most two-faced, hypocritical people on this planet. Now, so that everyone caught what I said, I will say it again. I am not talking about each and every one of you, but a vast majority of you. And, as I say not every one of you, that does not mean that you should go ahead, close the tab, and walk away feeling like you are “scott-free” because you KNOW I can’t be talking about you! Eh. May I point out that if you have that attitude, you just may be one of these individuals that I am talking about?
The LARGE reason that I wanted to write this little blurb was because of that little acted upon, but long word… forgiveness. We all know (or hopefully you do) that Jesus said that we are to forgive our brother (or sister, or whoever else is around us, mind you) 70 x 7 times! Yes, I know. Everyone is saying, “Wow, 490 times?”. Yes, my dear friends. 490 times. But here is the problem with us Christian’s, we get stuck on that number! We know how many times we are to forgive someone, but do we act on it? I would like to tell you a story to illustrate. True story, but I have changed the names.

Once upon a time there was a man named George. George had a job, land, a wife, and children. For some unknown reason, George decided to take another woman on the side for his own sexual gratification. No one knew of these escapades until months later. But, months later, George confessed to his family what he had done. Though it tore his family apart, his family forgave him. But alas, the story goes deeper.

George had a daughter named Lily. Lily looked up to her father and they had started to finally build a relationship. George discussed how his wife suspected he was cheated and how much that irritated him to Lily. Lily laughed it all off and totally believed her dad. When her dad came clean to Lily and the rest of her family months later, Lily was torn. She felt totally hurt and betrayed. But what was she to do? Her mother had nothing to do with her, and if she totally cut off her dad, she would have no parents. So she forgave him. For the next few months Lily would cry herself to sleep because she was beside herself. Did everyone lie to her? Around this same time Lily got introduced to the concept of having a deeper relationship with God. She ate it up! After she was able to give God everything, and it was then that the anger and hurt towards her dad totally died.

Life went on and Lily grew up. Lily’s relationship with her father began to get more and more strained as she grew up. Many would account it to the fact that she was the oldest and “Daddy didn’t want to let her go”. She no longer felt that she could confide in her dad, and she felt that her dad didn’t trust her. Why he didn’t trust her, she had no idea.

George has always had issues with trying to show love to those around him. He never really learned how. So when Lily went off to college, that almost lack of love, turned into a lack of love to Lily. When a prince came riding up to sweep Lily of her feet, she was swept! She had found someone who knew how to love her. He made her feel special. He knew how to talk to her when she was upset. He genuinely cared. But then, one day, Lily and her prince took their love into the physical realm. Too far into the physical realm.

When George first found out, he didn’t know how to take it. At first he blamed himself, then he blamed the prince, and then he blamed Lily. The same day that George found out he said that he had forgiven Lily, but in all honesty, that wasn’t the case.

(To speed up the story, we will skip uphead)

For almost a year, Lily has felt completely shunned by her father and she doesn’t understand. Her sin honestly only affected her and her prince. But her dad’s effected his family and his lovers families. But even though so much hurt was done with George’s sin, EVERYONE forgave him. So now Lily must wonder, “Why can’t I be forgiven too?”

Here’s the thing guys, forgiveness is a two-way street. You can’t just demand forgiveness, but not be willing to give it when the time comes. The Lily girl I mentioned in the story, that same girl has tried so hard to get her life turned around. But it is hard to turn your life around when at least one person close to you is still putting you down and expecting the worst. Wouldn’t you agree?

Let me put it this way, you (yes, each and every stinkin one of you) has NO right to not forgive someone. ESPECIALLY if they are honestly trying to change. Can you recall a man named Jesus? Do you remember what he did for us? Let me refresh you. A sinless man who walked on a sinful earth gave his LIFE for you and me. Many of these people that he died for had even done wrong towards him or talked wrongly of him! He even died to forgive the ones that had Him killed! Now, if you want to play dumb you can say, “well, they killed him. He didn’t have a choice.” Bologna. Jesus is the son of God. He could’ve called upon His father to save Him. But the point is, He didn’t. He was stripped and beaten! They shoved thorns into his head. The nailed his hands and feet onto this big wooden cross. (Let me make a note that hands and feet are a couple of the most sensitive areas on our bodies) And he did all this to forgive a bunch of losers like us?

Go ahead. Continue on with your little lives. Go to your church every weekend. But that does NOT make you a Christian. And let me say this, for all you “so spiritual” people that “have it all together” and are “so perfect”, get a life! It is time for you to finally walk the walk and not just talk the talk. You may have some people fooled, but I know many people, especially many non-believers that can see right through your act. And then I say, SHAME ON YOU! God sent us to be a light and all you do is turn people away because of your hypocritical actions, or you encourage other individuals to join in with your two-faced ways.

Was this harsh? Yes, probably so. But I am so tired of people not being able to live out what they say that believe. Forgiveness is tough to a certain point, but it is also one of the easiest things you will ever be able to do. And let me say this, forgiveness isn’t just an option. It is a command. If you can’t forgive someone else, then think about how your life would be if Jesus wouldn’t have died to forgive you. Forgiveness is more than just flipping your head and saying “I forgive you”. It’s a heart change towards that person.