FORGIVENESS

Ephesians 4:32 “Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a “Love is patient, love is kind... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails...”

The saying “Love is never having to say I’m sorry” is a little amiss... perhaps even a LOT amiss. It seems fairly straightforward to say love is kind. Most people would agree with that definition. So when you do end up hurting someone you love, you should WANT to apologize. If you don’t, the other person will eventual believe that you are taking them for granted, or that you really do mean to hurt them. Matthew 5:23-24 says "if you... remember that your brother has something against you... go... first be reconciled to your brother, and then present your offering.”

But very often we do not even realize we have hurt someone. Very often, it is unintentional, or due to miscommunication. And there’s only so much a person can take. So how much should one person try to take? And are we just supposed to ‘take it quietly.’ I would say ‘no.’ Matthew 18:15 tells us to reprove a brother in private IF they have sinned. In other words – work it out! Why not?

And if that person continues doing the same things, realize that it is there problem. They are obviously dealing or struggling with something. Jesus tells Peter, in Matthew 18, that we should forgive our ‘brothers’ 70x7 times. In other words, you should never stop forgiving. It is really something that helps us – so we don’t end up being bitter – which then causes us to become the things that we hate. And if you struggle to forgive – ask God to forgive them for you. Through experience, I know this to work.

To summarize: the saying “You can dish it out but you can’t take it” should really be “You don’t dish it out - and you can take a lot.” This really embodies love – which only demonstrates an unnatural strength – which can only come from God.