"Make allowance for each other's faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." (Colossians 3:13)
As I sat around a dinner table with three middle-aged couples one man remarked, "What a difference it would make in the world if people actually forgave each other." His remark was met with a number of nods and thoughtful 'hmms.'
Forgiveness is the greatest gift to receive, and the greatest gift to give. It is the food and water of our relational lives. The wellness of healthy community living is completely dependent on the community's ability to forgive.
It is timely to be reminded of this because we are in the middle of the season of Lent--the 40 days that lead up to Easter.
A common practice during the season of Lent is for Christians to give something up that they are dependent on--like caffeine or sugar. As they experience the cravings and perceived need for what they are deprived of, it is supposed to move them to remember what they are ultimately dependent on. We are as completely dependent on God's grace and forgiveness as we are dependent on caffeine and sugar.
Yet as much as we are dependent on forgiveness we are just as likely to forget to give it, or choose not to give it, or would rather seek to get even than to get right. Maybe this is why the purpose of Lent is not just to remember the past, but to embody forgiveness in the present in order to create a new future.
To not forgive is to hold the future captive. To seek revenge or getting even is to be held captive to the past.
Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone you need to ask forgiveness of? May the season of Lent be an annual reminder that we are to give up grudges and offenses, and to give the Easter gift of forgiveness that has been given to you. May forgiveness be built into the rhythm of our lives just as Lent and Easter are built into the rhythm of our calendars.
What a difference it would make in the world indeed.
