The Road of Independence leads where - ?
Ever have something that’s impossible to forgive? Okay, maybe not impossible, but pretty darn near close?
I love what Neil says: Forgetting may be a result of forgiving, but it is never the means of forgiveness. In other words, my hurt doesn’t just go away on its own if enough time passes.
I noticed something… When Neil was talking about God remembering our sins no more (from Hebrews 10), it’s an act of His will not to bring up and rehearse all my failures. He has chosen to let them lie.
Have you ever been so hurt by someone that you end up having conversations with them in your head? I have. Maybe it’s because I would never confront them; maybe it’s because I want to be prepared for when I do just that. Whatever the reason, those conversations serve only one purpose, and that’s to go back over all the ways in which I was hurt. I’m justifying, defending my right to stay hurt, when I do this.
Hebrews says God actively remembers no more – actively chooses not to think about the ways I’ve hurt Him – and that’s how He forgives. That’s a really tall order for me.
Two things, though – first, as Neil points out, God would never ask me to do something that was impossible. Yes, I’m going to need His help, but isn’t that the point? If I walk the Road of Independence, I’ll stay in Self Pityland, and never make it out (it’s like the Molasses Swamp). I have to do it God’s way to succeed.
Second, why do I need to forgive? It’s such a painful process, and the person who hurt me doesn’t deserve it.
Go back to the first paragraph: Why is forgiveness so critical to our freedom? Because of the cross…
The point of the cross is that as a forgiven child of God, I extend that life-giving forgiveness… That’s the restoration Jesus came to bring. Awesome.
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