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Kimberly Franklin
There are many things we want in life including basic needs entwined with grand dreams outside of our own capabilities. One of these desires that tends to be overlooked, but imperative to living life eternal, is forgiveness. There is so much growth in understanding the act of forgiveness. It is one of the backbone standards of our faith and a complete necessity when relating to each other.
We know as believers in Christ that His death occurred to forgive us from sin. As a youth, I struggled with accepting the sacrifice Jesus made because of my feelings of inadequacy. In my limited knowledge of the importance of the cross, I felt overwhelmed by the idea of someone physically suffering while asking for forgiveness on behalf of those causing the pain, in addition to dying for forgiveness of things yet to come. Looking at the life of Christ and His teachings as an adult, I now find comfort in being loved beyond my flaws. It’s like winning the lottery without even investing in a ticket. Footloose and carefree, right…not quite.
Digging deeper, forgiveness is much more than living in freedom and love, its compliance. We as Christians expect and believe in receiving the privileges associated with forgiveness. However, I’ve noticed at times, we have issues with showing forgiveness. When thinking about why I’ve struggled with forgiving, two perplexities recurred: Fear and Trust. Fear of manipulation, of being used, of devalue, even being a pushover has held me under the standard God has for his people. Most importantly a lack of trust in God’s promises left me feeling hyper-aware and determined to expect more of my faith.
It is not enough to live forgiven. We know love, therefore we can love; we know forgiveness, therefore we can forgive.
Friends and members of our Christ Church family have prepared these daily reflections as a means for you to consider how forgiveness informs your faith walk during this holy season. They are a richly diverse group from many different geographies around our nation and globe, formed by a wide variety of traditions.