FORGIVENESS

“But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow. You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much... But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Matthew 5:39‭-‬46‭, ‬48 NLT
What does it feel like to forgive? I have heard the words come out of my mouth many times. I've said it to friends, family members, acquaintances, and people I don't even know. Has my offering of forgiveness become so familiar that it has become more of a habit of mouthing the words rather than an action? Is it forgiveness if I can't forget? Is it forgiveness if I still avoid the person? Is it forgiveness if my thoughts and actions are still guided by whatever I have been offended by? Is it supposed to take time? Is it something I may have to work through? Can I forgive if I feel like I am owed forgiveness by the person I offer forgiveness and they can't forgive me? I have a lot of questions about forgiveness. I only have to choose one demonstrative example that reveals what it looks like. It looks like Jesus leaving Heaven and coming to Earth. It looks like Him forsaking His Heavenly Kingdom for a moment in time to suffer for my sake. It is Jesus forgiving the woman at the well and the people that cried for His Crucifixion. It's Jesus reinstating Peter after he denied Him. It looks like Jesus crying out, "... forgive them for they know not what they do." It looks like Jesus choosing to remain on the cross when He could have had the angels save him. It looks like Jesus peering through time in order to see that I needed Him to love me enough to pay the penalty for my sin before I knew Him. So, it isn't just words. It is an amazing ability to love in spite of what we have experienced. It's a choice to free ourselves from the hurt, the pain, the mental anguish that accompanies the thoughts that we cling to in order to harbor unforgiveness. Jesus held fast to the words He spoke at the Sermon on the Mount. He didn't resist me when I called out to Him. He forgave me who persecuted Him. He walked the extra mile and carried my yoke. He turned the other cheek when I abused grace. He gave His covering to me. He saved me as I borrow His righteousness. He loved me, His enemy. He knows me and all my wicked ways and still chooses to forgive my past, my present, and my future self. Forgiveness looks like His love covering the multitude of my sins yesterday, today, and every tomorrow.