James Newton shared, a story about Thomas A. Edison: They were working on a crazy contraption
called a "light bulb" and it took a whole team of men 24 straight
hours to put just one together. The story goes that when Edison was finished
with one light bulb, he gave it to a young boy helper, who nervously carried it
up the stairs. Step by step he cautiously watched his hands, obviously
frightened of dropping such a priceless piece of work. You've probably guessed
what happened by now; the poor young fellow dropped the bulb at the top of the
stairs. It took the entire team of men twenty-four more hours to make another
bulb. Finally, tired and ready for a break, Edison was ready to have his bulb
carried up the stairs. He gave it to the same young boy who dropped the first
one. That's true
forgiveness.
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Luke recorded an excellent illustration of the depth and
breadth of God’s forgiveness. He recorded, “Now
when the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this
man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who
is touching him, for she is a sinner.” And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon,
I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain
moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other
fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of
them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he
cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly” (Luke
7:39-50, NIV).
The focus of the narrative was about a religious leader’s
prejudice against a woman he called a “sinner.” With his remark, Jesus shared a
parable to demonstrate the right attitude towards others. Moreover, it would
expose the value and reality of God’s basis for forgiveness. Afterward, Jesus
asked him a question and having understood the simple mathematical logic presented,
his reply was affirmed. As Luke alluded,
“The debtor who loved the most was
the one to whom most had been forgiven” (Luke 7:42). It was through this simple
yet powerful story that hammered a sharp lesson for us to remember. It is because
of God’s great love for us that we become "kind one to another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another."
Our imperfections must keep us anchored on God’s mercy and
grace towards us as John Chervokas illustrated this truth this way: “Opaquing fluid is the magical liquid that
covers over your errors, your typos, your unfortunate slip-ups. You brush on
the liquid and start all over again--hopefully this time with no unfortunate
slip-ups. Opaquing fluid is forgiveness, an obliteration of a goof with no
telltale traces that the goof happened at all.” From this beautiful gadget,
it exemplified the reality of God's forgiveness for humanity to learn. We need
to be reminded that Jesus did it on the cross of Calvary when He asked God to
forgive those that crucified Him. Would there be a worst situation than what
Jesus went through? He died for our sins and forgave others so that we can do
the same to those that offended us. Thus, through His forgiveness, our hearts will
be flooded to forgive others as well. Roy Smith emphasized, “The art of forgiving is a spiritual grace
every Christian should develop and because Jesus forgives, we must also forgive
others.”
What are we waiting for? God’s forgiveness can become a
powerful weapon in a vindictive-filled world. Furthermore, it is what would
heal hearts chained and imprisoned by the anguish of lack of forgiveness. Unfortunately,
our stubbornness and pride becomes a hindrance to release any level of
forgiveness. However, when we seek God’s help, He is more than willing to flood
us with the ability to do so. When we surrender to Him, He will set us free to
release others and set us free in the process. Life is too short to carry any
baggage filled with unforgiveness. Jesus said it
best, “ “Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle
and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew
11:28-29).
Let’s talk again!
