Jun
17
Written by:
Felicia Fox
6/17/2009 9:09 AM
Forgiveness is something we talk a lot about in church. We always seem to talk about the forgiveness we have received from Christ. We talk less about our need to forgive others. I’ve been thinking about the power of forgiving others lately. In particular, I have been thinking about a dear friend I now have because she was loving enough to forgive me.
My friend and I meet in college. We became pretty close friends right away. I finished a year before her and we had a falling out. In fact, our whole group of friends had a falling out. It was originally about something stupid and meaningless. However, I know that I was to blame for some of the conflict. She and I went from talking everyday to not talking at all.
We didn’t talk for two years. I’m sure there were a lot of hurt feelings on both sides of the conflict. We let those feelings get in the way of forgiveness. My friend and the rest of our group made up before she and I did. The other girls in our group invited the friend; I never talked to, on our traditional girls’ weekend. It was an awkward weekend. Nevertheless, it was the beginning of our journey to forgiveness and back to friendship. Today, our friendship is stronger. I’m thankful that my friend forgave me for the pain I caused her. She taught me a lot about forgiveness and love. I’m thankful because her forgiveness has allowed me to forgive others. I know how it feels to be forgiven and to forgive.
Jesus spoke a lot about forgiveness. He even told Peter that he should forgive someone over and over again in Matthew 18. I know that forgiveness is harder to give than receive. Maybe the greatest thing Christians can do to show others the true love of Christ is to forgive each other? Let’s give it a try and see how we can change the world.