Forgive One Another

By Bernadette Moore

“Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32, NASB).

“Bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also” (Colossians 3:13, NASB).

Jake shifted his glance from the flowers blooming just outside his window back to the orange pill he was holding in the palm of his hand. Besides the similarity in color, the two things seemed like polar opposites. He loved staring at the annuals he had planted and hated the sight of that oval-shaped pill. Thoughts of the blooms filled him with joy, but thoughts of the pill filled him with dread. The blossoms saturated his nostrils with a sweet scent when he entered or exited the front door. That pill, however, leaves a bitter aftertaste in his mouth, and it will likely send him into either a spell of uncontrollable vomiting or diarrhea. How he hates taking that pill! But that dreaded pill cures what ails him. It stops his gastrointestinal flare-ups and minimizes the permanent damage they could cause. It also reduces the pain that accompanies the flare-ups—and less pain makes him much nicer to be around. So whenever Jake recognizes the signs of a flare-up, he must choose whether to take the bitter pill.

Like Jake, many of us experience flare-ups, but ours can be not physical but emotional. They may erupt when we are mistreated, misunderstood, demeaned, undervalued, or excluded, and the bitter pill prescribed by Scripture is forgiveness. The Greek word χαρίζομαι used in both these passages (and many others in the New Testament) means “forgive” and it includes a sense of forgiving graciously!

We may struggle to swallow the bitter pill of forgiveness because of its side effects, which may include humbling ourselves, temporarily surrendering our rights, and allowing someone to think they got the better of us. But the pill of forgiveness will also minimize permanent damage to your soul (and possibly your body) from bitterness, long-term anger, and resentment. When you take repeated doses of forgiveness (i.e., mentally forgive the one who offended or hurt you every time you remember what they did), your emotional flare-ups will subside, your body will hold less trauma, and with less pain, you will indeed be much nicer to be around.

Reflection Questions

• What signs help you to recognize when your emotions are flaring up due to having been wounded or mistreated?
• When forgiveness feels difficult or even too bitter to swallow, what helps you choose to take a step toward forgiveness anyway?
• How have you experienced God’s gift of forgiveness protecting you from the long-term damage of holding onto anger or resentment?

Prayer

Holy Spirit, whenever I am offended, wounded, or mistreated, help me choose to take your prescribed medicine of forgiveness as often as necessary, just as you constantly forgive me in Christ. Amen.