The F word? Forgive

“In the shadow of my hurt, forgiveness feel like a decision to reward my enemy. But in the shadow of the cross, forgiveness is merely a gift from one undeserving soul to another.”
― Andy Stanley, It Came from Within!: The Shocking Truth of What Lurks in the Heart 



     That last post brought me into a few deep conversations that helped me to see this more clearly.  When God reminded me of the verse Daniel 9:24 that begins with the Seventy weeks have been decreed, determined, etc.  it didn't even register with me at the time that seventy weeks is 70 times 7.  It is about rebuilding.  Forgiveness is the root to rebuilding cities, nations and people. 
     After realizing this and some discussion, I wanted to learn more about what Jesus means when He says to follow Him.  Take up your cross and follow?  In our human minds we get a picture of one entity walking behind another, but when I looked up the word follow in Greek from the verse Luke 9:23 and many other verses that talk about following the words "as a particle of union" hit me hard.  I immediately see drops of water falling into a river.  This is how closely He wants us to follow, that we become one with Him, if He flows to the east, we flow with Him, around ever turn.  God's arms form the river bed as we all move together and once the drops (His people) fall into the river and become one with Him, can they ever again be separated?  No, but they can pool off into stagnant water and stop moving. 
     I see the first step in forgiveness is to speak the words.  There is life and death in the tongue.  When I first spoke the words, "I forgive them", I did not feel it.  I did not want to forgive, but I wanted to obey and I wanted to be free.  Once those words were out there, I had to flow with Jesus and allow Him to instruct my next steps and as we have walked together through forgiving I am now at a point where I want that total freedom for those who hurt me.  I want that freedom for every person, but what I see is forgiveness seems to be the fence so many believers are sitting on.  Some choose to stay on the side of not forgiving.  Some seem to say the words, but not want to step into a deeper forgiveness on the side of the Lord, of growth, of freedom.  Giving forgiveness and even receiving the forgiveness on the deeper level Christ wants for us seems to be the place we get stuck.
     To say the words is the first step, but it is a surface step.  It's a lot easier to forgive over and over on a surface level of just speaking it, than to forgive on a deeper level, layer and find that freedom promised to us. 
     In the story of Naaman he is told to go wash in the Jordan seven times and he would be healed of the leprosy.   Naaman wanted a quicker fix, "Can't I just..."  How many times do we say these words to God when He is asking us to do something?  I used to try to bargain with Him more often than I do now.  Naaman washing seven times in dirty water is an excellent picture of the Lord asking us to forgive.  What looks like getting your hands dirty is actually going to clean you of the disease of unforgiveness.  Joshua is instructed to walk around the walls of Jericho 7 times.  With both Naaman and Joshua's stories I can see it takes faith to continue.  Just as in forgiveness, with each layer it gets a little harder to have the faith that one day you can be completely free.  We can come up with every excuse not to forgive, not to follow Jesus, not to obey on the deepest level. 
     I saw this video yesterday.

 

          I also see where people, including myself find it much easier to accept forgiveness for our transgressions ( Outward sin ) like adultery, stealing, lying than to accept complete forgiveness and  complete healing for our iniquities, (Inward motivation that drives us toward sin) lust, hate, attitude.  We say things like, "That's just the way I am built" or "It's the thorn in my flesh".  But Isaiah 53:5 says "⁵ But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." 
I heard a pastor point out his wounds were outward and His bruises were inward.  We can be completely free.   We can and must if we are truly following Jesus, a particle of union, set others free.

John 20:23 (NASB)

23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins [a]have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”