Overcoming the Impossible

What offenses can be forgiven and what cannot? Some people put limitations on forgiveness – especially for offenders whose offense was so devastating, insulting and vile it appears there is no way to purge the anger and grief from their heart and soul. While recovery may not appear possible, with God, the impossible can be overcome.

 

For those who trust in Christ Jesus, it's difficult to envision a situation where forgiveness would seem impossible. I heard a story about a young man who was raped in prison and forced to participate as a homosexual for the duration of his imprisonment. The message of the story was that we out here do not want to know the details of such offenses.

Do we ever forget an offense? Given the right stimulus, our memory can recreate events that severely wounded us. Yet God promises to heal devastating wounds, so when we remember the offense, the pain begins to diminish as God heals our heart and soul. Give God thanksgiving and praise for that blessing.  

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“Stay alert! I am God, the God of everything living. Is there anything I cannot do?”

~Jeremiah 32:27 The Message

Jesus said to the disciples…Listen to me! You can pray for anything, and if you believe, you have it; it’s yours! But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive you your sins too.”

~Mark 11:24-25 The Living Bible

For I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.

~Philippians 4:13 The Living Bible

Is Forgiveness Possible?

There are those who would argue that forgiveness is too difficult and furthermore you can never again trust someone who deliberately has caused pain and suffering. Evidence indicates, however, the one who forgives lives a healthier and happier life by letting go of anger and bitterness that reside in the heart and mind. Anger turned inward creates other health issues.

TV news featured a story about a businessman who one day didn't come home from work. He abandoned his wife, three children and a promising career. Twenty years later his oldest son made a concerted effort to find his father and finally found him in another state where he wasn’t lost, but deliberately hiding.

His father had chosen to be homeless and loved living on the street void of responsibility. After hours of conversation, this young man realized who his father had become. This was when forgiveness began to take place. While anger and bitterness dissolved, sadness remained because the loss of his father was permanent. Forgiveness is a step toward healing.  

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O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help.

~Psalm 86:5 New Living Translation

I want you to know, my very dear friends, that it is on account of this resurrected Jesus that the forgiveness of your sins can be promised. He accomplishes, in those who believe, everything that the Law of Moses could never make good on. But everyone who believes in this raised-up Jesus is declared good and right and whole before God.

~Acts 13:38-39 The Message