The Unnatural Act of Forgiveness

 "I wondered if that was how forgiveness budded, 

not with the fanfare of epiphany, 

but with pain gathering its things, 

packing up, and slipping away 

unannounced in the middle of the night."

Khaled Hosseini,  Kite Runner

Forgiveness is not optional.

We are to forgive as we have been forgiven.

Just as Jesus forgave those who crucified Him.

"Father, forgive them. They do not know..."

But forgiveness is not natural.

It goes against everything in us 

that cries out for fairness.

The thing that we need to forgive

 often involves pain--

from the sting of an unkind word to the 

deep gash left by an abusive relationship.

We are often left holding the pain, 

knowing the one whom we must forgive

will likely not acknowledge nor ask for it.

While we cannot afford to dwell on pain for too long,

we cannot afford to ignore it either.

We live in a fallen world where everyone

has experienced the pain of wrong choices.

When the wrong involves a violation of trust, 

or results in a life altering consequence, 

it can become even harder to forgive.

Then Peter came to him and asked, 

“Lord, how often should I forgive someone

who sins against me? Seven times?"

"No, not seven times," Jesus replied,

"but seventy times seven!"

Matthew 18:21-22

Sometimes we must forgive over and over,

trusting that our hearts will eventually catch up

with the assent our heads have given.

I love that quote in Kite Runner because

I think that is often how our hearts join in.

We think it will be some big moment where

we experience the "fanfare of epiphany."

But one day, we realize that our pain

has quietly packed up and left.

Our head and our heart become one again.

God works in us through grace

to pull out the stingers that wound us.

He is gentle and He is kind, 

and it often takes time to get them out

so that the healing leaves no scar.

We have a responsibility to forgive,

even if it is daily, seventy times seven.

He takes our acts of obedience and

begins the work of healing and restoring,

applying balm to tender and wounded places.

"He heals the brokenhearted and

bandages their wounds...

His delight is in those who fear Him,

who put their hope in His unfailing love."

Psalm 147

Oh, the number of ways that

He is always, always,

always good.