Forgive and Be Forgiven

I was walking with Anderson this evening and I decided to recite to him the Lord's Prayer.  It's a little early considering he's so young, but that's okay.  So I went over it a couple times:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours in the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever.
Amen

As I was saying the words, I started to think about the sins we might have to forgive.  Some things aren't too hard to forgive really.  Others are a little more difficult.  But there are some things that would be really hard to forgive I think.  Things like murder, or rape, or child abuse.  What if someone I loved was murdered?  What if someone I loved was sexually assaulted?  What if someone abused my child?  How could I forgive those things?  I'm sure I would want to seek revenge against the perpetrator, and I don't think that forgiveness would come easily.

And then I thought about the fact that the visceral feelings I have concerning those sins that might be committed against me or one of my loved ones...the feelings of anger or disgust that rose in me just thinking about those things...are nothing compared to what God must feel about our sins. 

God is completely holy and perfect.  He has no sin, and the sin that we have separates us from him and his holy nature.  In fact, we were considered enemies of God because of our collective sin nature.  And our sin is disgusting to God.  It is repugnant.  It is a betrayal of God's loving kindness to us.  And when people murder, they murder God's children.  When people rape or abuse others, they are doing those things to God's creation.  Imagine the feelings we have about those things even as sinful beings.  I believe that we can't even begin to fathom God's feelings about these sins.

Every sin and every evil deed done to you is also an act against God.  When you're lied to or betrayed...when you're abused or mistreated...when someone you love is harmed...Those things are all acts against God.   And when WE do those things, WE act against God as well.  We aren't just sinning against each other, we're also sinning against God.

And sin is sin, I think.  If you break a "big" rule, you're a rule breaker.  If you break a "small" rule, you're a rule breaker.  Once something is broken, it's broken.  And so we all stand before God in the same condition: sinful and in pieces.

Happily, if we come before the Lord and ask for forgiveness, he gives it.  I realized that I will never have to forgive anything more than what God has already forgiven.  And I will never have to give up more than God already has to provide that forgiveness to anyone else.

Our sinfulness is huge, and yet, God forgives.  So as I accept that forgiveness, I must in turn do the same for my neighbors.  I have to ask myself, "How can I ask for forgiveness from the Lord, if I am unwilling to offer that same forgiveness to those who sin against me?"  If I will not forgive, how can I expect to be forgiven? 

And perhaps I should even take joy in forgiving.  Knowing that as I do, it will be done to me.  As I forgive, I can rejoice that I will also be forgiven.