Devotions from Haase’s book on forgiveness

When we ask in the Lord’s prayer for God to forgive us we are showing we are aware of our own sinfulness and need. Our forgiveness of others is a paradigm for God’s forgiveness of us.  Jesus is remembered as saying that justice is not served by getting revenge and balancing the ledger but by generously sharing with others what we ourselves have experienced from God.  Forgiving our neighbor and performing selfless acts of sacrificial love is our response to God’s forgiveness. As we are sensitive to our need for forgiveness it helps us to take the first step in forgiving others and reconciling when possible.

Our ego conveniently forgets our own sinfulness due to its emotional need to protect and promote self-concern, self-image, self-preservation etc. It wants to enthrone itself on the seat of judgment and criticize others.  But as His followers we are only too aware of our own fragility, weakness and sinfulness. Because we have enjoyed his gift of forgiveness, we can accept others and renounce our own arrogance and self-righteousness.

Rather than have a “Velcro-personality” that holds grudges and hangs on to hurts, we should become “Teflon-personalities that let the hurts slide off. We might not forget, but we choose to forgive.  More tomorrow!