Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us…
By: Erin Hykin
I find forgiveness difficult. I grew up with three siblings and there were lots of opportunities to practice asking for or offering forgiveness in our house. You’d think all that practice would’ve made me a pro. Sometimes it feels easy because the hurt was small or temporary. Someone apologizes and the other forgives and it’s in the past. I can do that transaction. But when a hurt cuts deeply or the effects last longer, forgiveness is not so easy for me. Maybe there’s no apology. Maybe the hurt causes ripples that I’ll experience for a long time. Maybe it amplifies my own insecurities, tucked away as proof that my worst thoughts are true. At those times, forgiveness feels like more of a process than a phrase.
In the Lord’s Prayer, we pray to have our sins forgiven as we forgive others. Yikes. I don’t want God following my example of forgiveness. I want God to forgive me fully. To help me understand my mistakes, love me, help me grow and live more in His image. I want Him to love me for my efforts and failings and for getting back up and trying harder the next time. I’d rather have God love me because He remembers all my ups and downs, rather than love me in spite of them. I pray my mistakes point me toward Him and help me see the ways I hurt others and help me find strength to do better and give better each day.
I believe that is how I’m called to forgive others. I’m still learning. It takes effort to be open to hearing intentions and apologies and working together to heal damage and tender emotions. I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to truly forgive the way God constantly forgives me, but the Lord’s Prayer reminds me of how I’m called to Christ-like forgiveness every day.
