The Forgiven Should Forgive

We forgive because we have been forgiven.

God expects us to show grace to others because he showed grace to us. He demonstrated his love by sending Christ to die for us, even though we were still in rebellion to him (Romans 5:8).

It’s easier sometimes to be selfish instead of gracious. You see the slow cashier in the grocery store line as a five-minute interruption to your day rather than somebody who might be struggling to keep his job, somebody who just got the worst news of his life a few minutes before.

You see someone in your family who’s struggling as a drain on you rather than seeing her hopelessness over a desperate situation. You see the person who cut you off on the freeway as a villain instead of someone in need of God’s love.

We’re all in need of God’s love. That’s why Jesus Christ came into this world. And to show people grace is to remember what God has done for us. The ultimate way God shows us grace is by forgiveness. And the ultimate way he asks us to show grace to others is also by forgiving them.

People often ask me, “How can I find the strength to forgive? I don’t have it in me.”

The truth is, I don’t have it in me, either! The only place I’ve ever found the strength to forgive is to remember how much Jesus has forgiven me. Through that reminder, he gives me the strength and grace to forgive others.

There’s a story about a woman named Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross. A friend reminded her of a particularly cruel thing somebody had done to her years before. The friend asked, “Don’t you remember?” Her famous reply was, “No, I distinctly remember forgetting it.”

Forgiveness doesn’t mean the person who wronged you was right. And it doesn’t make what that person did okay. You can forgive, and they still can face the consequences for what happened.

When forgiving someone seems impossible, remember one thing: Jesus forgave you.