Breaking Chains

We cannot harbor resentment and unforgiveness and expect to walk in freedom. We must choose to forgive others as the key to laying down our chains. True freedom cannot exist where unforgiveness resides.

In today's Scripture, we find ourselves looking at the life of Peter again. In this scene, we see Peter ask Jesus about the necessity of forgiveness, and specifically as it pertains to when enough is enough! Peter wants a number. Is it 5 times? 6 times? 7 times? And, of course, we know Jesus' response: 70 times 7. Jesus wasn't telling Peter that the cap on forgiveness is 490 times. He was illustrating God's overflowing grace to forgive us and our requirement to extend that same grace to others.

Even as I write this, I imagine the many readers who have suffered unspeakable pain of abuse, loss, and hardship. Some of you were abandoned by fathers as children or undeservedly fired from jobs or lied about–the list goes on. What do you do with the pain? Consider this. How is this unforgiveness serving you? How is it serving others? Is your unwillingness to let go of this pain yielding the beautiful fruit of life-giving friendships and deeper intimacy with the Lord? Or is it causing you to limp through life, looking for ways to make someone pay for your pain?

Unforgiveness serves no purpose in the life of a believer. It will not erase the offense. It will not erase the memory of its pain. No. Unforgiveness creates chains of bondage that get heavier and heavier.

In contrast, a heart overflowing with forgiveness is the key to our freedom. We all have carnal excuses for withholding forgiveness, but we have no spiritual ones. If the pain we've endured from others is somehow "unforgivable," but the pain Jesus suffered because of our sin is "acceptable," what does that say about us? Are we the only ones worthy of forgiveness from the Father? Are others not deserving of the same mercy?

Forgiveness doesn’t mean the offense was okay. It doesn't endorse sin. Forgiveness simply sets you free. What is your freedom worth? Is holding onto offense for the next several years worth remaining in bondage to depression, anxiety, fear, or more? Is the offense really worth reliving, year after year? How is unforgiveness helping—or hurting—your life?

Points to Ponder:

• Am I valuing my personal freedom more than my right to stay offended? What is the actual cost of holding on to that offense?
• Have I embraced the full depth of the forgiveness Jesus has shown me? And if so, am I willing to extend that same grace to others?