In reflecting on the petition in the Lord’s Prayer to “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us” two ideas stuck with me. For the message Sunday, Jeff pulled a line from a YouVersion study we’ve done on the Lord’s Prayer: “There’s a difference between struggling to forgive and refusing to forgive.” We are called to forgive others who sin against us as God has forgiven our sins—but sometimes that is so difficult! I know I am called to forgive; I know I should forgive, and I can even want to forgive others, but I can struggle to do that. Knowing that being willing to forgive, even though I might struggle and it might take time, gives me hope. Recently a friend was talking about a painful experience she was having at her church and almost instantly I was caught up in feelings of a similar painful experience I’d had several years ago. I thought I had forgiven the people in that situation, but the wounds still felt raw. Had I truly forgiven them? Was I refusing to forgive them? We’ve all heard the saying “forgive and forget.” Someone in our discussion group after the message on Sunday observed: “I’m not sure we’re called to totally forget.” She’s right. “Forgetting” isn’t part of the petition in the Lord’s Prayer. Not totally forgetting might protect us from being hurt again. Not totally forgetting might help us protect others and set healthy boundaries. Not totally forgetting might help us to make better choices in the future. My prayer is for all of us is that we ask God for help in our struggles to forgive others and ourselves—especially those we might so for have refused to forgive even after experiencing God’s forgiveness of our sins.
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Pastor CathyPastor Cathy has been appointed to Tyner UMC since July 2019; she also is a part-time writing instructor at Bethel University in Mishawaka. Archives
July 2022
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