Forgiveness … It’s never easy, but it’s truly necessary. Join Natalie Grant & Charlotte Gambill as they talk about the healing and transformational power that’s found through letting go and walking in the flow of forgiveness.
Dare To Be
Day 1
Scriptures: Matthew 18:21-22, Genesis 17:7, Galatians 5:1
Forgiveness is a flow.
The biggest misconception people have about forgiveness is that it’s this huge, one-time event that negates any wrong that was done. The truth is, forgiveness is a flow – a continuous process of extending grace that is meant to be implemented into your everyday life, like brushing your teeth. When you’re brushing and flossing every day, a trip to the dentist doesn’t feel as intimidating, right? The same is true with forgiveness.
When someone wrongs you or you become offended, whether it was a small infraction like something said during an argument or a more malicious act, it’s reasonable to be hurt. By definition, an act of injustice is unfair, and our response leans toward evening the playing field. We want the other person to receive what we think they deserve, and we want to receive what we think we deserve. However, as Christians, we are called to forgive.
Many of us are like Peter in Matthew 18, wanting to know how many times we must forgive. How many isolated events until we can say enough is enough? Will seven times do it? Jesus responds by saying, “Seventy times seven.” In other words, take your one-time events and multiply them. Break them down into smaller pieces and you’ll be able to extend more forgiveness.
Our commitment to continuous forgiveness mirrors God’s covenant with His people. In Genesis 17, God clarifies that His “everlasting” covenant stretches beyond Abraham to “your descendants after you for the generations to come.” He promises to be the God of Abraham and the God of his descendants after him. It’s not an isolated event or a one-time declaration. We see it over and over again in scripture as God repeats Himself. Regardless of how many times we wander away or offend God, His promise and His forgiveness remain a continuous flow.
Forgiveness doesn’t mean nothing happened; forgiveness means you’re able to move beyond what happened. When the offense is no longer holding you back, you can live free from the bondage of the infraction.
Let’s start small. Maybe a cashier was rude to you or someone cut you off on the interstate. Take a deep breath in and practice letting one small offense go as you breathe out. As you create a habit of regular forgiveness, work your way into the tougher areas you’ve deemed “unforgivable.”
Day 2
Scriptures: Daniel 9:9, Romans 5:7-8, Romans 3:23
Forgiveness flows to you.
Before we can begin to extend forgiveness to anyone else, we must recognize that forgiveness is extended to us. After all, we cannot give what we don’t have. Romans 3:23 says that all of us have sinned and we all fall short of the glory of God. There is not a single person on the planet who is not in need of forgiveness, and this includes ourselves. The good news is that forgiveness flows from God to each one of us, and it’s up to us to choose to receive it.
You might think that what you’ve done is too much and unforgivable, or perhaps you live by a standard that sets a high bar of working your way into forgiveness. However, Romans 5 breathes hope for the way it highlights that, righteous or not (and we are not), what we do or think we deserve isn’t a factor. “While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (v. 8). That means He came right into the middle of our messes, called us worthy of rescue, and created an escape route.
The truth is, we all are in need of forgiveness and none of us deserve it. Our wayward and rebellious hearts lead us astray time and time again, but God is continuously merciful and forgiving. Each time we turn to Him in repentance, all we have to do is receive His forgiveness and step into the freedom that comes with it.
Is there something you’ve said or done that you think is unforgivable? You are never too far from His mercy. What might it look like to open the door to let forgiveness rush in and wash over you?
Day 3
Scriptures: Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:32-33, 2 Peter 1:3
Forgiveness flows through you to others.
We are called to forgive others just as we also have been forgiven. This is how the Kingdom of God operates, as described in the parable Jesus tells of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18. In this story, there was a king who began settling his accounts. After one servant who owed a great debt asked for patience in repaying his debt, the king took pity on him and canceled his debt altogether. Later, when the servant did not show the same mercy to a man who was indebted to him, the king called him back in and asked, “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?” (v. 33). Because the man didn’t extend forgiveness, he was made to repay what he originally owed.
Withholding forgiveness is not an option in the Kingdom of God, but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard or costly to the one who forgives. Jesus died an excruciating death on a cross to make way for our forgiveness. His sacrifice was so great that He sweat drops of blood as He prayed in the garden the night before. It wasn’t a small or easy thing, but Jesus chose the will of the Father over His own will. We are faced with the same choice.
Thankfully, God has not left us on our own as we navigate a life of forgiveness. 2 Peter 1:3 tells us, “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life.” We can only do what He asks of us because of His power that enables us, which means the forgiveness we give doesn’t come from us or what we can muster up. In fact, the forgiveness that flows from God to us has the power to flow through us to those around us.
Whether or not the person or offense is worthy of forgiveness isn’t for us to decide. Our job is to choose to be a vessel of forgiveness and allow the power of the Holy Spirit to flow through us to those who have hurt or offended us.
Think of a person or offense you’ve been holding out on forgiving. Imagine the flow of forgiveness that comes from God moving through you to that person or offense. Consider how that forgiveness flowing through you washes away the weight you’ve been carrying as you’ve held onto that offense. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you freely give what you’ve also been freely given.
Day 4
Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 13:5, Colossians 3:13, Ephesians 4:26, James 5:16
Creating a flow of forgiveness.
No one said forgiveness was easy or breezy, but pulling together a few biblical principles to create a flow of forgiveness certainly helps.
Keep no record of wrongs. First and foremost, we are called to love God and love one another. This can look like many different things, but one of the characteristics of love, found in 1 Corinthians 13, is that it keeps no record of wrongs. If we’re not paying attention, it can be so easy for us to fall into a habit of picking up little offenses here and there and making a mental note of what’s been done against us. Whether it’s a big thing or a little thing, an offense from your spouse or a stranger, choose to create a regular habit of clearing the record.
Be quick. The Message version of Colossians 3:13 says to forgive “quickly and completely.” In other words, don’t wait or linger. Forgive and follow through, from start to finish. Ephesians 4:26 explains that we can prevent our anger from becoming sin when we don’t let the day end before working it out. The longer you wait, the more opportunity there is for an offense to take root and grow into something bigger. When you choose to let go of an offense as quickly as you pick it up, you create a flow of forgiveness that never allows it to become this big, intimidating, and painful thing.
Confess and apologize in community. One of the best ways to create a flow of forgiveness is by confessing where you’ve gone wrong, apologizing, and asking for forgiveness. What better way to create an opportunity for forgiveness than by inviting it in? When we show how much we value forgiveness, we show others how to make room for it as well. Not only that, James 5:16 tells us that gathering together and laying it all out on the table is where we can find healing. Choose to create space for forgiveness to flow.
Where might you be keeping a record of wrongs? Before you go to bed tonight, practice clearing the record and resolving your anger. Is there someone you owe an apology to, or a friend you can confess your wrongdoing to? Start creating your flow of forgiveness today.
Day 5
Scriptures: Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 17:3-4, Luke 15:30-32
Forgiveness flows daily.
The thing about The Lord’s Prayer that most of us forget is that it’s a daily prayer. It’s no coincidence that Jesus includes forgiveness in this daily prayer, found in Matthew 6:12: “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Every day, we must circle back to this prayer and practice the flow of forgiveness. We ask for and extend forgiveness, not as one-time events, but as a daily occurrence. For as many times as is necessary, even if it’s seven times in one day, we are called to keep this flow of forgiveness.
Luke 15 tells the story of one son, who takes his share of his father’s estate and squanders it, and his older brother, who becomes offended by how quickly and completely the father forgives his younger brother when he returns. The older brother feels the younger brother has received something that he not only doesn’t deserve but something the older brother doesn’t have for himself. When he brings this to his father’s attention, his father responds by reminding him, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours” (v. 31).
It probably felt unfair to the older brother to see forgiveness, mercy, and freedom displayed in such obvious and tangible ways, but the truth is that there was forgiveness, mercy, and freedom flowing toward him on a daily basis. What he was witnessing was how the flow to his younger brother had just been restarted after having cut himself off from it.
This is the good news about forgiveness: it is always freely flowing and you are never too late to choose to step into it.
Remember that the flow of forgiveness runs freely to you and through you on a daily basis. Everything God has is already yours. Or maybe you need to reopen the flow. There is freedom waiting for you on the other side when you repent and ask God for forgiveness. He is faithful to meet you where you are and create a life-changing flow of forgiveness in your life.