Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
For some people, our calling to come out of our darkness and walk with Christ in the light is characterized by our need to leave behind certain friends, family members, habits, and sinful choices. Sometimes we cling to these parts of our lives that we know can be very harmful to us. Sometimes things that we do and say that are outside of God's will for us become for us more important than our own salvation. So, we must learn what is more important, and leave the things behind that hold us back.
For others, there is not some great and compelling temptation to sin. There is not the allure of the world. There are not habits, mistakes, or a sinful life that defines the person. Instead, we struggle with broken hearts. We have expectations for people, and those people have let us down. People have been cruel. People have created pain. And people are not interested in reconciliation. For Christians in this situation, perhaps the most difficult calling that Jesus brings to us is one to forgive.
Harboring anger, bitterness, and a desire for revenge over justice is poison for our souls and detrimental to our walk with Christ. We must learn how to forgive. For their sakes, and for our own. Forgiveness is not approval, it is not acceptance of bad behavior, and it is not an endorsement of evil. However, failing to forgive can mean we are still trapped in the dark places that someone else has put us. Come to Jesus, and learn to be free.
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