Forgiveness. It's what I need to work on. It's what I need to practice more. Because it's so easy to be angry and frustrated with someone. Because it's easy to hold on to that feeling of "they deserve to feel my anger". Because forgiving others is hard.
I'm working on being forgiving because it's commanded in the Bible. Because Jesus forgave me. Because I don't deserved to be forgiven and yet I am forgiven. I'm not saying that we can't feel the emotions of anger or frustration. For even Jesus got frustrated and angry at times (driving out the money changers in the temple, the apostles falling asleep while he was praying in Gethsemane, etc.) but he was forgiving anyways. If I were in Jesus' shoes, I would have been very angry and frustrated with those who were crucifying me. I wouldn't want to show them compassion or mercy or forgiveness. And yet, Jesus forgave them. "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34). It would have been so easy for Jesus to be angry with the people. It would have been easy for him to save himself. It would have been easy for him but he chose the road of forgiveness. Those who crucified Jesus didn't deserve to be forgiven. They deserved fire and brimstone because they killed the Son of God. They deserved the same death as Jesus on the cross. We deserve the same death because it was your sin and my sin that drove the nails through Jesus' hands and feet. He was on the cross because of you and me and yet he forgave us anyways. We need to imitate Christ in every aspect of our lives. That includes being forgiving toward others no matter what. It may not be easy to forgive someone, but if Jesus forgave those who killed him, then we can forgive those who do us wrong. Remember the forgiveness Jesus showed us the next time we have to forgive others; it makes forgiveness a little bit easier to show. Choose to follow Jesus down the road of forgiveness.
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AuthorMy name is Jennifer Odom and I've been a Christian since October 2011. I'm a 20-year-old junior at Freed-Hardeman University. I hope to speak at several ladies days, become a music teacher, get involved with mission work, and bring as many people as I can with me to heaven. Stepping in Light is affiliated with the church of Christ. Archives
April 2020
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