iamforgiven
Dear Suzie,

I have followed your Bible study on forgiving, and I feel like I can forgive others, but I can’t accept this for myself. Their actions led me down a road that is littered with regret, and it affected so many.

Anon

Dear friend,

At some point we accept grace as the gift that it is. We let down our defenses, willing to believe that the grace promised is for us too.

It’s a shift in focus from all the things you can’t change on your own, to the love and grace He willingly holds out.

Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s consent. So don’t be afraid therefore; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29, 31

There are at least 35 species of sparrows in North America. The exact number of how many sparrows exist is unknown but it is at least in the billions and God does not let one of them go unnoticed. How much does He love us? How much does He love you?

Right where you are. That’s our Savior. He knelt beside the woman in the dust, whom others accused. He met in the middle of the night with a man respected by others, but who wasn’t brave enough to pursue Christ in the brightness of day. He offered grace to the thief on the cross next to Him.

How are we any different? Why can’t He offer us grace right where we are? And how does receiving that grace change us? It changes everything, day by day, moment by moment, as we discover what it means to be His.

He hurls your sin as far as the east is from the west, reframes you through the cross, and sets your feet on a new road, one that isn’t littered with regret, but lined with redemption.

One of the most powerful discoveries that I made in the years that I studied forgiving is that scripture doesn’t ask us to forgive ourselves. It asks us to boldly come to the mercy seat and receive what He so willingly offers.

Will you accept that gift today as your  own?