The necessity of forgiveness

I’ve said it before, but I will say it again: forgiveness is incredibly powerful.  I think sometimes we forget just how vital, liberating, and potent it really is.  It’s important to be reminded how forgiveness is an essential component in life.  In fact, I would be so bold as to put it this way: you and I will never live life to its fullest if we don’t forgive.  That’s why in the Bible we are told over and over to choose forgiveness.

Recently, I’ve been reading the excellent book “The Superheroes Devotional” by Ed Strauss.  In a chapter on the film Spider-Man 3, he writes, “After defeating Venom, Peter goes to see Mary Jane.  She convinces him that although they’d hurt each other, they had to forgive.  So they reconcile.  In fact, Peter has learned his lesson so well that at the end of the movie, when a repentant Flint Marko tells him he is remorseful over killing Uncle Ben, Peter forgives him.  The message behind the story is thoroughly Christian…The Bible says, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you (Ephesians 4:32 KJV).”

“God knows that it’s wrong when someone deliberately offends you, takes advantage of you, gossips about you, or harms you.  He understands how these things can hurt you.  He also knows that it’s a common human reaction to want the other person to feel pain in return.  But only God can administer justice perfectly.  So the Bible says, “Do not take revenge, my dear friends…for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19 NIV)…He wants you to unhook your fingers from the offense against you and give Him room to work.  He wants you to even refrain from praying for vengeance, but instead to forgive the offending party” (From “The Superheroes Devotional”, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission).

By the way, this notion of extending forgiveness doesn’t just apply to others.  If you’re like me, you don’t give yourself the patience, understanding, and mercy to yourself that you would to someone else.  I seem to be my harshest critic.  I’m not proud of this; I’m just being honest.  Perhaps this is why I resonated with a statement that was made on a recent episode of the TV show “The Flash”.  Someone said to Barry Allen (alias “The Flash”), “You treat everyone around you with kindness and respect.  Just remember to do the same for yourself every once in a while.”  Wise words.

Kevin