Today's Lesson on Forgiveness

My lesson in forgiveness continues to serge ahead with what can only be divinely assigned lessons tailored for me this week. God continues to place the things I need to hear directly in my ears lately. Such a blessing!

This morning in chapel, we continued our journey though Ephesians. This week, we landed in chapter two...

"But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death. He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us."

Okay, so this passage isn't about forgiveness, per se. But there is something key that I was furiously taking notes on throughout the twenty minute chapel service. The passage says that Christ reconciled the two groups together ending all hostility between the groups. Does this mean that the hostility instantly ceased around the world, and all was well from that moment on? Well, no. Christ declaring it so did indeed make it so, but it didn't make the process any less of a process. Christ has reconciled me to God by His death on the cross, but does that mean that I'm perfect now? No. I am being reconciled. I have been reconciled, and I am being reconciled. It is so, but it's still a process. 

Forgiveness is the same way. My declaring forgiveness to someone does indeed make it so, but does it remove the process of forgiveness from my heart? Does it mean that hard feelings, hurt, pain, and all the other emotions that go with trying to forgive someone just instantly disappear upon forgiving? Forgiveness is a process. It starts with being willing to forgive then being willing to work on forgiving.

This is such good stuff. God is so very good.