Forgiveness is hard and sometimes you need to start with what it isn’t
before you talk about what it is.
Forgiveness is difficult. C.S. Lewis gets it when he says that “Everyone says forgiveness is a lovely idea, until they have something to forgive.” There is a difficult reality that we are faced with when it comes to forgiveness. That forgiveness means not getting even, it means it won’t ever be made fair, it means that you won’t get to enact all of those elaborate revenge fantasies that you have been constructing in the back of your mind somewhere.
So we began this journey together by looking at what forgiveness isn’t. We reflected on what Jesus has to say in Matthew 18:21-35 and what it means for us today. Pastor Jason noted that Peter’s question of number had less to do with the number and more to do with the heart. To often when we are asking when my forgiveness is enough, is really asking at what point is revenge acceptable. There are three areas we looked it:
Forgiveness isn’t a Feeling
Forgiveness isn’t Forgetting
Forgiveness isn’t For Them
All three led us to a simple foundation to our month long conversation - Forgiveness is a choice to begin the process of healing. Forgiveness is the death of a debt.
- We are excited to continue into Part 2 of the series next week as we talk about FORGIVING YOURSELF -
Welcome to the City Collective Podcast. Our heart as a church is founded in our belief in Jesus and who He is. We believe that it is through Jesus that we discover the beauty of love and life. Jesus isn’t an aloof deity set apart from humankind, rather He came to earth to welcome us into relationship with Him. It wasn’t an obligation, but a natural overflow of who He is: LOVE.
We hope that you encounter God's heart in each episode and are challenged and inspired in your relationship with Jesus.