Last night I found myself uncharacteristically sitting among twenty or so young adults who were worshiping and sharing testimonies from their lives.
Had it been six months ago, I would not have considered such a setting so "uncharacteristic" of me. But these days I tend to find comfort in places that are quiet and often unfrequented by people.
"Forgiveness without love is not forgiveness."
It was the words of a testimony being shared by a friend.
I'm not sure I heard the ending to the testimony because my heart had tripped uncomfortably upon those words. Unable to swallow the undeniable truth that forgiveness required more than the words "I forgive you", I sat, mind racing, as I greeted the reality that forgiveness demanded the accompaniment of love with it.
Forgiveness without love is not forgiveness.
The words continued to resonate in the hallows of my mind as I tried to pretend they weren't true. I couldn't... can't love those who...
I sat, intoxicated with the sobriety of truth my friend had just shared. And I didn't know what to do. I knew, know, I can't just love. I used to. But these days, today, it's not like that anymore.
The rest of the evening was passed unnoticed by me as I processed these words. How was I going to ever force myself or bring myself to love those whom I struggled to forgive? I couldn't. I can't.
Then today as I continued to process these words, I was greeted by a different reality than last night. I was greeted by the truth that Jesus is the One who works in my heart and moves within me to bring about a miracle of forgiveness and love.
As Jesus hung dying, He extended forgiveness to those who had taken His very life. This was no less a miracle than any He had performed already. Because forgiveness, true forgiveness, accompanied by love is a miracle. Why? Because only through Jesus can this truly be accomplished.
So in 2014, my prayer is that I would have loving forgiveness so that in 2015, I would have a testimony of this moment to share with the whole world.
Had it been six months ago, I would not have considered such a setting so "uncharacteristic" of me. But these days I tend to find comfort in places that are quiet and often unfrequented by people.
"Forgiveness without love is not forgiveness."
It was the words of a testimony being shared by a friend.
I'm not sure I heard the ending to the testimony because my heart had tripped uncomfortably upon those words. Unable to swallow the undeniable truth that forgiveness required more than the words "I forgive you", I sat, mind racing, as I greeted the reality that forgiveness demanded the accompaniment of love with it.
Forgiveness without love is not forgiveness.
The words continued to resonate in the hallows of my mind as I tried to pretend they weren't true. I couldn't... can't love those who...
I sat, intoxicated with the sobriety of truth my friend had just shared. And I didn't know what to do. I knew, know, I can't just love. I used to. But these days, today, it's not like that anymore.
The rest of the evening was passed unnoticed by me as I processed these words. How was I going to ever force myself or bring myself to love those whom I struggled to forgive? I couldn't. I can't.
Then today as I continued to process these words, I was greeted by a different reality than last night. I was greeted by the truth that Jesus is the One who works in my heart and moves within me to bring about a miracle of forgiveness and love.
As Jesus hung dying, He extended forgiveness to those who had taken His very life. This was no less a miracle than any He had performed already. Because forgiveness, true forgiveness, accompanied by love is a miracle. Why? Because only through Jesus can this truly be accomplished.
So in 2014, my prayer is that I would have loving forgiveness so that in 2015, I would have a testimony of this moment to share with the whole world.
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