Forgiveness

Dear Victorious,

I know that forgiveness is a requirement for Christians. But despite my knowledge and best intentions, I find that sometimes forgiveness can be challenging for me. What is it about forgiveness that makes it so hard?

Victoria R. - Ruidoso, NM

Dear Victoria,

I suspect that there are three reasons why we find forgiveness so challenging.

1. We still hold onto hope that the past can be different.
2. We don't believe Christ is sufficient for damage we've suffered.
3. The individual is still offending us (see number two above).

It's been said that forgiveness is only possible when we give up the hope that the past can be any different. But I think that's not true. Forgiveness only comes when we decide that Christ is sufficient for the damage we've incurred. For when we come to that conclusion, we can forgive things even in the present ... and in the future. (This is how God handles forgiveness.)