The Cost of Forgiveness

I have taught on, preached on and practiced forgiveness for a long a time.  I have always known it ti be both hard and necessary.  One of the things that is true about being a Christian is that forgiveness is not optional — it is commanded of us and we do it out of obedience to Jesus. It is sinful not to forgive and, like any sin, it will hurt our relationship with Jesus, our intimacy with the Father and our ability to hear the Spirit.

I thought I understood forgiveness until I read a blog post from my friend J.R.  And then I realized, I didn’t get it yet.  My forgiveness of others has cost me little compared to what others have paid.  

I first started learning about the essential and unconditional nature of forgiveness when I was 19… and I have been learning ever since.

J.R. starts his story this way:

I deliberated for months about writing this. Mostly ’cause what you’re about to read has been the most difficult grieving process I’ve ever lived through. Some will think this too intimate, others no doubt, have had like experiences. Either way, this is my life, and nothing’s easy when you follow Christ.

Take some time and read the rest of J.R.’s post and then come on back and share your thoughts here…

Click here for the link.