Forgiving others, frees us.
Yesterday, I was reading the part in Genesis, where Jacob was going back home to his father’s land. He had run away twenty years before after stealing his father’s blessing from his brother Esau. He had also swindled his brother out of his birthright. Esau was planning on killing him when their mother intervened and sent Jacob back to her family to stay while Esau cooled off.
Twenty long years went by and Jacob married two sisters, had a slew of kids and had become quite wealthy. He had decided to return home because he was tired of being mistreated by his father-in-law, who he also swindled on a regular basis.
Now, Jacob was prepared for Esau to still be angry with him. He had goats, camels, bulls and donkeys, all ready to hand over as a peace offering and he was ready to grovel if necessary.
But, Esau was no longer angry with his brother. God had been at work and He had blessed Esau. In the twenty years of Jacob’s absence, Esau had somehow found forgiveness for him. Esau hugged Jacob and kissed him and wept, when he saw him.
When Jacob realized Esau had forgiven him, he said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.” Genesis 33:10b
That statement really struck me. Showing forgiveness to others who have hurt us in some way, is like being the face of God to them. There’s a lot of truth there. Forgiveness can be excruciatingly difficult at times, but when we forgive, we are showing the face of the God, who forgives us for our wrongdoings.
Perhaps the most difficult aspect of forgiving others, comes when they didn’t ask for forgiveness, are not sorry for their transgressions, and in our human minds, don’t deserve it.
Yet, we are called to forgive anyway. Anger and grudges are soul killers. When we forgive others, we are freeing our own hearts and souls. God can and will, deal with the unrepentant. That’s not for us. It’s an obedience and trust issue. Are we obedient enough to forgive others and trust that God will handle it?
That can be a tall order. Humanity tends to want justice and we want it now, as long as it’s for others.
Jesus said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25
Those are red letter words.
Who knows how long it took Esau to forgive Jacob? But, when he did, he was free to live his life and be blessed. The problem became Jacob’s problem, no longer Esau’s.
Jacob and Esau remind me that forgiveness is a choice. It’s a choice to obey and a choice to trust that God loves us and He has a plan. We are called to work on our own hearts and our own walk with God and trust that He will take care of the rest.
I need reminding sometimes. Maybe you do too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂