In His Name Devotionals
SOMEONE WHO WILL FORGIVE
In His Name Devotionals
SOMEONE WHO WILL FORGIVE
She was one of England’s best-known novelists and secular humanists. Shortly before she died in 1988, in what John Scott calls a “moment of surprising candor,” Marghanita Laski said this on television: “What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me.”
The fundamental notion behind the biblical concept of forgiveness is letting go. It is as if a brawny policeman had chased you down, caught you securely by the collar, and turned you around. Looking into each other’s eyes—with you scared to death and him firmly in charge—he smiles and says, “I’m letting you go. Try not to do that again.”
Another part of forgiveness is pardon. This time you need to imagine that things have gone much further than in the above scene. You have been caught, tried, and found guilty in court. Then you’ve had the book thrown at you. You are on death row, sentenced to die, waiting for the dawn of what is to be your final day. You hear the ring of footsteps and are gripped with the terror that you are about to be led to your death. When the steps end at your cell door, the warden opens the door, smiles and says, “You have been pardoned. You are free to leave whenever you wish.”
More realistically for most of us, perhaps, is the idea of having some remit or cancel a debt. Suppose your credit card statement comes by mail tomorrow. “Oh, no!” you think to yourself. “This has been a tough month, and I can’t even make the minimum payment.” So you open the bill only to see stamped in red “Paid in Full” across your statement. There is a note saying you are the lucky winner in a random drawing that pays someone’s bill in its entirety each month. Your face breaks into a broad grin, and the weight of the world is lifted from your shoulders.
Roll all these notions together in one word, and it comes out forgiven.
God has paid your debt with His own funds. He had you red handed and chose to let you go. He has come onto death row and announced that you can go free.
Pity the person with no one to forgive her. If you are forgiven, celebrate your good fortune and tell others the wonderful name of your benefactor. There are still many, many people who feel like Ms. Laski. We feel sorry that she died without someone to forgive her. Maybe you can help keep the same thing from happening to somebody you know.
