Forgiveness.

I am the least qualified person to make any sort of post on forgiveness, so I apologize in advance that I am not an expert on that which I will discuss in detail.

If you know me, or anything about my personal life, then you know that I am a man of extremes. No, I am a man of extreme extremes. A friend once told me once over sushi (not a direct quote), "Rashad, when you love, you love so very deeply and it's great. But when you hate, you really, really hate..."

That friend boldly loved me by telling me blunt truth. I have numerous people that I love, and love deeply. If you're one of these people, I guarantee to you that you know it. But, on the opposite end of that spectrum, there are a couple of people that I hate. I know I hate them and I hate my hatred. But it's there, and it paralyzes me spiritually and emotionally. My motives behind my hatred are bitterly entangled in numerous conflicts, hurt feelings, arguments, etc. But, I've been learning lately that at the root of all of this is. . . sin.

My hatred of other people is absolutely sinful. Yes, I have been sinned against, and that is wrong; but also, I have sinned (and am sinning) against those people by not forgiving him. Dr. Dan Allender, in his book, Bold Love, puts it like this:

If forgiveness, fulfilled in reconciliation is to occur, evil must repent with clarity and conviction. (p. 251)

If forgiveness is defined as a continuing process of hungering for restoration, revoking revenge, and offering good gifts, then we are to forgive until there is reconciliation. But reconciliation should not occur until there is repentance. (p.251)

I like that Dr. Allender uses the terms forgiveness, reconciliation, repentance, and restoration in easily identifiable, different terms. I tend to jumble all of those aspects into one, neglecting the complexity of love.

Forgiveness is active and this repentance requires a humility that cannot come from me. I mean, offering good gifts? I can barely look at those I hate without judging and feeling my blood pressure rise. How am I to offer them good gifts? And then there's that statement, "forgive until...." It seems to me that forgiveness may lend the forgiver out to dreadful abuse. But, at the same time, I know that that is a lie from Satan that he wishes to use in order to entangle me in more sin and less repentance. My road to forgiveness begins with humble repentance, and grace shall abound from there.

In the midst of all of this, I know that I must remember the Gospel, which forgives horrible sinners, like me, and those people I hate, regardless of the offense and no matter how deep it may cut. Christ continually offers His children restoration, does not seek revenge, offers us an abundance of treasures in heaven, and will continually pursue us until the day of completion. He does this, even though we spit on him daily, flippantly brushing off his vast forgiveness.

I'm reminded of this stanza of How Deep the Father's Love for Us as I type this post:

Behold the Man upon a cross
My guilt upon His shoulders
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

Father, enable me to love as deeply and humbly forgive and be forgiven, just as You have done for me and for them.