A Forgiving Heart

“I want to be like her. To know how much forgiveness has been extended to me and to pay it forward with love.”

“I tell you, her sins—and they are many—have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love.” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭7‬:‭47‬ ‭NLT‬‬

There is a parable in the New Testament in which a man begged for forgiveness of a loan from the king, and it was given to him. But instead of paying it forward, the man refused to forgive the debt of another person and had them thrown into jail. That backfired for the man, and the king in turn put him in jail until his debt was repaid.

In Luke, we read about the woman who was forgiven for “many” sins and paid it forward with love, in a complete contrast to the man in the parable. She was commended and remained close to Jesus.

I’ve been walking a road of forgiveness during this season. It’s something that I can take for granted for my many sins, but struggle to extend to others when the sin feels like betrayal. I want them to pay for their sin, or at the very least acknowledge that they have sinned.

But putting myself in the position of judge over other’s sins does not bring me closer to Jesus. In fact, when my heart is leaning into anger and desire for justice now, I’m not close to God at all. I can feel it. There is tension in my disobedience and unloving heart.

The heart posture of the woman in Luke was that of humility. She was able to recognize her own sins and allow forgiveness to transform her heart. She leaned into God’s incredible love for her and didn’t take it for granted, knowing she didn’t deserve it. 

I want to be like her. To know how much forgiveness has been extended to me and to pay it forward with love. To remain at Jesus’ feet. To have a heart posture of humility, knowing that I do not deserve an ounce of forgiveness—and to be able to extend that same unearned forgiveness to people who have caused my heart pain.

Because when all is said and done, we are the same. We are all sinners, fallen short of the glory of God. And God alone has the right to cast judgement. 

Action Steps:

• Is there something you’re leaning into, causing tension and distance from being at the feet of Jesus? Maybe, like me, you’re struggling with forgiveness. Ask God to reveal your heart and bring you close to Him. Ask Him to fill you with His Spirit, and to give you the strength to fully surrender

Written by Barbara, a mom, but also a person who is learning forgiveness

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