True Forgiveness

Recently I’ve been reminded about one unsolved heart’s matter… and it made me realize that for all along I haven’t completely forgiven a person. I thought I did, but it turns out that I haven’t finished the process…

This morning, I imagined about Him… He’s been through something similar, even harder ones…

I imagine He was looking to people, one by one, who raise their hands… shouted His name in great joy, when He entered Jerusalem by a colt…
I imagine He was looking to people who followed Him, who have been healed by Him, who have been fed by Him in a miraculous night, who have been taught by Him… The faces that expressed gratitude, amazement, and loyalty…
(Not to mention His “faithful” diciples…)

But later on, He saw the same faces, this time full of anger and disgust… They shouted His name, this time in hatred, while He was in Pilate’s court… He saw their faces when they picked Barabbas over Him to be set free, when they cursed Him and demanded Him to be crucified…
(Not to mention the fact that His diciples had left Him all alone because of their own fear).

And… don’t forget about Peter’s denial, in spite of what he had said just before (Luke 22:33). Imagine that moment when Jesus saw Peter straight in the eye (Luke 22:61)…

I just speechless about what was on His mind and His heart at that time… either towards Peter or other people…

He, who is blameless and sinless, can forgive us…
While we, the same sinful people, tend to keep other’s faults and find it hard to forgive them…
It’s kinda ironic, don’t you think?

Forgiving is forgiving. End of sentence.

There’s no “but” or “even though” or “only if”…
Because a true forgiveness arises from a broken heart that has been completely restored by His unconditional love…

He said that to love Him is to obey Him (1John 5:3) and He wants us to forgive others (1 John 2:9, 1John 3:15, Luke 6:37, and Col 3:13)