Risk Rejection for the Reward of Reconciliation

God created human beings with the quality of character that has the potential for elevating forgiveness above self-interest. This infers that an individual can look beyond an offense and assess someone on the basis of potential rather than what he or she may deserve. Yet forgiveness requires working through hurt feelings and healing deep emotional wounds.

 

Taking the initiative to forgive and restore a relationship is comparable to investing in something of great value that potentially results in a good return for the effort and energy expended. Taking the initiative to secure forgiveness also may involve the risk of being rejected.

To risk anything of value may come at a high cost, but when consideration is given to the rewards of forgiveness and reconciliation, the costs by comparison can be negligible. When the Lord God considered the cost of sending Jesus Christ his beloved Son into the world to secure its redemption and reconciliation, the price to be paid was done without regret. 

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He was hated and rejected; his life was filled with sorrow and terrible suffering…He suffered and endured great pain for us, but we thought his suffering was punishment from God. He was wounded and crushed because of our sins; by taking our punishment, he made us completely well.

~Isaiah 53:3-5 Contemporary English Version

God…reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

~2 Corinthians 5:18-19 New International Version