Hope Found in Forgiveness

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 

Think back on a time when forgiveness was offered to you and you knew you were completely unworthy of it. It screamed of grace and selflessness and represented Jesus so well. 

The fact that we can call up these memories so quickly is because they deeply affected us; we were not just witnesses to the miracle of true forgiveness, we were beneficiaries of it. 

And what is even more beautiful than receiving that kind of forgiveness is being the one to offer it to someone else. 

Forgiveness is fun to talk about and feels holy to explore. At the foundation of the Christian faith, it is a core principle of holiness. But offering it to someone when they have broken your heart, rejected you, betrayed you, gossiped about you, or worse—forgiveness then becomes a task far too lofty for your comfort zone. We claim grace, but our mind fights for retaliation. We want to make sense of it. 

And then we remember how much he forgives us. The brutal reality of our humanity and its entitled ways hit us square in the face, and we are so thankful that Jesus chooses to look past what we do because he knows who we are. Through this washing away, our home becomes evident. 

He continues to use us, love us, claim us, and fight for us. His forgiveness is strong and all-encompassing. Nothing overpowers it. Forgiveness is a blanket that removes our fears from yesterday and secures us in the present. It wraps around the depths of our hearts and tangibly shows us what love is. 

When we drive past our own pride and reluctance to give what is not deserved or even requested, we open the door that ushers in the deepest hope we will ever know. Offering forgiveness to others is a direct reflection of Jesus, and it shows his love in a very personal way—not just to us but to the person receiving forgiveness and those watching on the sidelines. 

Dear Lord, thank you for washing us as white as snow and making us blameless in your sight. Give us the strength and grace to forgive others as you have forgiven us. We want to be radical in our forgiveness, lavishly offering it to those in need. We do not deserve your grace, but we humbly walk in it. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Cleere Cherry 
Be Still & Know 

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