When we’re hurt physically, we medically have to follow the pain in order to find the root cause and address the pain at its source. The pain may be coming through a particular part of our body, but the source may be found somewhere else.
Likewise, when we’re hurt emotionally, we have to go pass our immediate pain to find out what lingering pain we’ve been carrying since childhood and heal such pain in order to be healed of the immediate pains. Only then will we be able to forgive those who have hurt us.
By looking into their dysfunctional childhood and ours, an enigma shared by mankind at large from the fall at the garden of Eden until now, we may find more than enough reason for someone to do unto us what others have done unto them, or to feel again as we once felt as a child.
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.
“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.
“At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant’s master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.
“But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.
“His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’
“But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.
“Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.” (Matthew 18:21-35)
“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)
“God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)
The gospel, the message of reconciliation, the message that brought us the knowledge of what God knows concerning us. God knows we’re forgiven by Him through Christ. God knows He loves us by caring for us to the utmost care, the cross and resurrection of Christ in us.
Blessed is his name, blessed are we because of Him, Amen.
Jesus is the well of the living water, the Holy Spirit. 