Begin with 2 minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Regardless of where you are in your faith journey, forgiveness is something that we have all hesitated to extend and felt desperate to receive. It brings muddled feelings of betrayal, vulnerability, negation, and even shame. Regardless of where you are in the process of forgiveness, it’s important to remember that as followers of Jesus, forgiveness has never been a suggestion that we merely take into consideration.

Today’s passage of scripture tells us that if we choose to withhold forgiveness for someone who has sinned against us, it will determine the Father’s willingness to extend forgiveness to us. You see, the moment we surrender our lives to Jesus, we no longer have the option to not forgive. We are required to forgive because of the forgiveness that the Lord gave us through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ for our sins and transgressions.

But the question still stands; why is it so difficult for us to offer forgiveness? There are many reasons, but what Matthew 6:14-15 highlights is how out of touch we are with the magnitude of our own sin. Without even knowing, our pride leads us to believe that the gravity of another person’s sin outweighs our own. To truly experience the freedom of being about to forgive, we must first have an accurate view of our own sin and the beautiful truth of pardon that was extended to us.

There is liberation from the chains of bitterness when we trust the Lord with our pain and choose to pardon another’s sin against us even when the flesh tells us that they don’t deserve it.

The reality for every follower is this; we do not deserve what Jesus did for us on the cross. It should have been us. He had every right and power to choose another way, but He didn’t. That is the truth that we get to live in every day.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Is that someone in your life that you need to extend forgiveness to?
• What is holding you back or keeping you from forgiving?
• Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, as I go through my day, help me see my sin accurately. Help me to see when I sin against You and others today. Forgive me for my unforgiveness of others. In Jesus’ name, amen.