Day 2, GIFT #2 - Give to others the gift of forgiveness!

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Col. 3:13)

Forgive freely as God has forgiven you!

Forgive those, especially family members, who have hurt or harmed you in any way. Forgive as God has forgiven you!

I was afraid for my big brother

When I was 10 years old, my older brother, David, who was 12, would hot-wire the pickup while our dad was at work and go for joyrides. I was afraid for him and was sure he would have an accident and be killed.

One particular time I remember begging him not to do it and tried to get between him and the truck to prevent him from leaving. But he kicked me and left me crying on the ground as he drove away. After that moment I felt differently about him and we were never close after that.  Many years went by and we rarely spoke to each other. When I did speak with him, or even thought of him for that matter, I would feel that old familiar pain of that incident of so many years earlier.

Then, while attending a conference, the speaker spoke passionately about the need to forgive others, especially family members who may have hurt us. He said unforgiveness can spill over into other relationships if not dealt with. He invited us to remember any past incidents, and then take care of them.

I remembered what happened with my brother and called him. I reminded him of the incident but he had no memory of it. I asked him to forgive me for holding a grudge against him for so many years. He wept and said, “Yes! I do forgive you, but only if you will forgive me, too?”  “Of course I will!”, I said.

A heavy weight had been lifted and I was filled with joy. After that, David and I were great friends again! It is wonderful what the power of forgiveness can do!

Eventually, David asked me to explain to him how to receive Christ. After sharing with him, he prayed to invite Christ into his life. That brought us even closer.

Reasons to forgive others

• Forgive others because it restores broken relationships

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23-24)

• Forgive others because God will then forgive you

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matt. 6:14-15)

• Forgive others without limit because Jesus said that is the right thing to do

“Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered, 'I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.'” (Matt. 18:21-22)