Practice Makes Perfect

While at a family gathering, someone wounded me by words they chose to use. It was difficult to forgive his repeated verbal jabs and lack of goodwill that spanned many years, and I had hoped he would someday decide not to attend our family gatherings ever again.

I whispered to my wife at one of our gatherings. “He betrayed and hurt me. He needs to change first before I can even consider forgiving him.” I had vengeance in my heart for sure, which made it impossible to let go of the hurt. I refused to love as Christ loved, saying no to even the tiniest sacrifice that might help fix the relationship.

In 1 John, we see that authentic love is connected to our actions and revealed in them, and if we do not forgive and act lovingly toward others, how can we truly claim to know and love God? John even compared hatred toward our brothers and sister to murder—since hatred is the cause for murder.

Are we too busy looking at the speck in our neighbor’s eye (Matthew 7:3) to recognize we have all sinned, and we all need forgiveness?

To love as Christ loves us requires sacrificing our interest for those, in many cases, who do not love us back. In the act of giving of ourselves with no strings attached, we reveal our love for God and our neighbor.

However, extending love to others is not always easy. For true love is not a sentimental or warm-fuzzy thing, but it involves an act of sacrificial giving, the intentional action to forgive those who have hurt us for the love of Christ and the salvation of our neighbors.

Let us practice setting aside our egos and pride so we can get better at giving unconditional forgiveness to even those who give little or nothing in return, as our Savior sacrificed his life for all who hurt and persecuted him.

Lord, thank you for giving me the strength and grace to love as you have loved me through your abiding Spirit. And no matter how many times I may fail, encourage me to continue to practice loving others over and over again, trusting in your strength to do so. Amen.

Throughout This Day: Today, identify those situations you find yourself in where you can trust the Spirit to enable you to forgive and love your neighbor without expecting anything in return.