Forgive Me?

April 10, 2012

Forgiveness. There's so much talk about that word.

"Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself."
"Forgive and forget."
"You can forgive, but you can't forget."

We've heard it all.

But. Have you ever thought about being the one on the Forgiven end of the cliche?
Sure. We're all aware that Christ died to forgive our sins.
But, how often do we treat that statement as another cliche?

I can promise you, Forgiveness was NOT something Christ did for Himself!
He did not need to give Himself a gift.
He gave Himself as a gift!

Christ knew every sin.
Every. Sin.
And He paid the price because of what I was going to do.
What you were going to do.
Not only for those who accept His gift. His forgiveness.
But even for those who reject it. Who mock it. Who dispute it. Who fight against it.
All sin of the past, present, and future!
All of it.

How could He do what He did?
Why?
For me, too?
But I am nobody.
Insignificant.

Oh, but His eyes see something totally different than mine do.
He does not see me {or you} as insignificant at all.
I imagine that when  He looks at us, it's probably similar to the way we look at our own babies.

I have absolutely carried a screaming banshee of a toddler out of many a store and still was able to overlook the offense and love that baby. It didn't matter that my child had a moment of pure meltdown. I know that there is so much more to him than his failures. I see the potential and the goodness. I can easily overlook all that might make him unlovable, and love everything else. And to me, he is the opposite of insignificant!

If only I could grasp the concept of being lovable.
Why else would He be willing to die such a gruesome, horrible, barbaric death?
I take my eyes off of the cross far too often.
I need to realize that I am who God says I am and not who the world thinks I am.

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;" Psalm 103:11-13