“I forgive you.”
“You do what? Forgive me?”
“Yes.”
“After what happened?”
“Yes. What kind of Christian would I be if I did not?”
“You forgive me and it has to do with someone that died almost two thousand years ago?”
“Yea, kind of. It wasn’t just someone that died. It was Jesus.”
“And because He died, you forgive me?”
“Well not just because He died, but because of how He lived and why He died. Jesus lived His life for others and died as a payment for our sin or debt. The law was death for sin and Jesus paid the debt by dying.”
“But people still die?”
“Yes. People die. The death Jesus died for was the death of the spirit, not the flesh.”
“And because of that, you forgive me?”
“Yes. How can I hold on to something that Jesus died to release? If I did not forgive you, I would walk around with this thing hanging over me. It would cause my attitude towards you to change and it would interfere with the things we do together. You will have to let it go also.”
“Because of Jesus everything will be as if this thing never happened?”
“Because of the example of the life Jesus lived, I am able to forgive you. With a living Spirit to guide and Jesus as my strength and salvation, I will let it go. I pray that you will not make an issue of it and we can continue to be friends.”
“You pray for me?”
“Yes. In the example of prayer that Jesus left for us, He said ‘forgive us our transgressions, as we forgive those that transgress against us.’ Or ‘forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.’ When I am hurt or injured by someone, I pray for them and for the strength to forgive them.”
“So you don’t toss and turn at night worrying about who said what to who and how to get even for whatever?”
“I am human and I do sometimes react that way, but I pray about it and get back to sleep.”
“If I pray about the things that bother me, am I forgiven by God?”
“You are forgiven, Jesus took care of that. You need to accept that Jesus lived and died for you and let go of the pain and the attitude of revenge. But by all means take the things that bother you to God in prayer, knowing that your are forgiven and so are those that injure you.”
“Ain’t it amazing?”
“Yes grace is amazing.”

© 2001 Tim D. Coulter Sr