I have decided to share on this topic.
I am very inspired by brother Sokreaksa S. Himm.
He is the author of two books, The Tears of My Soul, and After the Heavy Rain.
I strongly advise all to read these two books, and perhaps more, should he decide to write others.
I only have the second book, as the first was limited in its circulation, and I would rather some others have it first.
What I am going to write here is a summary of my thoughts.
Frankly, this is one of the most difficult topics to share on.
I am sure it is not difficult for anyone to understand why.
Who among us can claim that we have never been hurt by others?
That person would be a liar.
Yet, why should we forgive others?
My reply is: Why not?
There are many reasons why I chose not to forgive those who hurt me.
These include:
1. I had been hurt unfairly.
2. Justice meant that those who hurt me must suffer for their sins.
3. Those who hurt me did not ask for my forgiveness.
There are good reasons to forgive now.
1. "I had been hurt unfairly."
Have I not hurt anyone in my life?
Have I not hurt He who loves me most?
Can I effectively measure the hurt I suffered and the hurt others suffered because of me, and say that I am the lesser of sinners?
We can only conclude that this society is not God's original design, and we are still suffering the effects of sin.
All the more, we cry, "Come, Lord Jesus. Come."
2. "Justice meant that those who hurt me must suffer for their sins."
I still believe in this, but vengeance is the Lord's.
He will decide when and where the vengeance will come.
Am I God, that I should think myself above the judgement of Christ?
Am I all-knowing, that I should trust myself the best judge of what and when is the appropriate punishment?
Did I really understand the message of the Lord?
How do I demonstrate Christ-likeness by holding on to the pain?
3. "Those who hurt me did not ask for my forgiveness."
When Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive his brother, I always thought that this passage meant that I must forgive those who ask.
However, I also believed that those who did not ask need not be forgiven.
At the same time, I could not reconcile this view with the prayer both Jesus and Stephen said at their deaths, that the Father would forgive them, for they did not know what they were doing.
Aren't we all "not knowing"?
If we truly understood how our words and actions would hurt others, would we still have done so?
If we would, we truly deserved to be condemned.
If we ever had or have any regrets, doesn't it show that we "did not know"?
How can we trust that we hurt others without intending it, and yet, others hurt us with malice?
How deceptive the heart is!
How self-righteous we are!
I always said that we should know what kind of person God is first, before we can understand why He gave certain commandments, and in this case, the same principle can apply.
If we can believe that God is both just and merciful, we would understand some things:
1. The need for final judgement on Judgement Day
2. The call to be merciful
3. The use for His commandments
1. As God is just, He would not tolerate evil forever.
One day, all shall be made accountable for their thoughts, words and deeds.
Why then is He "delaying" judgement?
Why does He place such a premium on free will?
Isn't it because of His mercy and sense of justice at the same time?
2. As God is merciful, He demonstrates His patience with us, who are saved.
His will is that none shall perish, but this may not be the will of men.
This long-suffering God reaches out to us first, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
All we wise enough to call for judgement now?
In this culture of instant gratification, have we forgotten what we have received freely from the Lord?
As we freely receive His grace, freely we shall give.
3. I believe that all commandments are given for our benefit.
We do not commit murder, because this would bring fear, anger and hatred into our midst.
We forgive, because we can be truly free.
Those who hurt us, may never realise that they did evil in the sight of the Lord, and woe be to them when they fall into God's hand of judgement.
However, there could also be some who are sorry, but lack the courage to apologise.
They may have found their peace with the Lord, but we, for the lack of forgiveness, are still holding on to the pain.
It is worth our while to forgive.
Let us try to live lives truly worth living!
How do we forgive?
How did we become Christians?
The answer is the same: by choice.
Choose to forgive.
I lie, if I say that forgiving others is an easy choice.
May the Lord walk with us, as we choose to forgive others everyday.
May He complete our insufficiency.
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