Forgive Again and Again

Forgive Again and Again

The second thing the priest shared with me was something I had never heard before. He told me I needed to "reactualize the forgiveness." It sounded like a complicated phrase, but what he meant was surprisingly simple.

Sometimes forgiveness is not something we do once. Sometimes it is something we choose again and again.

It may seem difficult enough to forgive someone the first time. Yet, even after genuinely forgiving them, you may find the resentment resurfacing weeks, months, or even years later. A memory resurfaces. Someone mentions their name. A similar situation reminds you of what happened, and suddenly the feelings are back.

That does not necessarily mean your forgiveness was not genuine. It simply means your heart needs to keep surrendering that hurt to God.

The psalmists understood this well. David often wrote about people who opposed him, betrayed him, and sought to harm him. Yet each time, instead of allowing bitterness to consume him, he brought his pain back to God. Again and again he declared that God was his shield, his defender, and the One who fought for him. David teaches us that surrender is rarely a one time decision. It is a posture we return to whenever our hearts begin to wander.

Peter once asked Jesus how many times he should forgive someone who sinned against him. Seven times probably felt generous. Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy seven times." Jesus was not asking His followers to keep count. He was teaching them to cultivate hearts that are always willing to forgive.

We do not forgive because the offense was small or because what happened did not matter. We forgive because Christ has forgiven us. Forgiveness is not saying that wrong is right. It is choosing to release the offense into God's hands instead of carrying it ourselves.

Jesus even taught us to pray, "Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us." Forgiveness is not just something God asks of us. It is something He weaves into the very way He teaches us to pray.

If today you find old feelings resurfacing, do not be discouraged. Instead, see it as another opportunity to place that hurt back into God's hands. His grace has not run out. It is still sufficient for you.

Today, if resentment rises again, pause before you react. Bring the hurt to God once more and choose, by His grace, to forgive again.

Reflection

Is there a hurt you thought you had already forgiven but find yourself carrying again today? What would it look like to surrender it back to God once more?