How Can I Forgive...Vera Sinton

You Are Not Perfect

We have seen that one reason for forgiving is the inward-looking one: resentment damages yourself.
But there is a more outward-looking reason. None of us is perfect. If you are honest you will admit that, like everyone else, you frequently need forgiveness. You need it from other people. You need forgiveness from God.

That last thought may be a new one to you. Your words, your actions are not meaningless. They are not just your private concern. They matter to a God who knows every detail of your inner life.

When you are lazy or untruthful, careless or cutting, greedy and cowardly, you offend the Creator who made you. When you hurt another person, or fail to put energy and talents to use, you are actually hurting a Father who cares about you and the people around you, like children and family.

King David in the Bible once arranged the death of one of his best soldiers because he had fallen for the man's wife. When he began to feel guilt about what he had done, he wrote in a poem to God, 'Against you, you only, have I sinned.'
He understood the seriousness of his actions in the eyes of a God who cares.
This may sound gloomy to you, especially if you are feeling sore about how other people have hurt you. But in fact it is only the prelude to good news. The good news is that God offers you complete forgiveness, and He does it in a way that takes seriously the hurt and damage done by your failure and sin.
God's forgiveness is linked to a real event that took place in history but is still immensely relevant today.
Imagine some of the things you should find most difficult to forgive.