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October 10th, 2009
REMORSE
Sincere remorse can be a fine thing.
When someone does wrong and asks for forgiveness, sincerely
asks for forgiveness, most good people do find it in their hearts
to forgive.
Upon the far side of any wrong, sometimes, just sometimes,
true grace can be discovered in the coming together of remorse,
forgiveness, and reconciliation.
The result can be freedom for all parties involved.
Do we need remorse to forgive?
Probably not.
“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!”
I find it interesting that this admonition for forgiveness was
coming from the same Guy who demonstrated quite a bit of
righteous anger earlier that week. He took a whip to money
changers outside the temple in Jerusalem, the City of Peace, the
City of God.
Less than a week later, that same Man uttered those magnificent
words—Father, forgive them—while experiencing pain
unimaginable.
How do we reconcile these two moments—this act of righteous
anger and these words of ultimate grace?
Some have used The Savior and his death to excuse Tammy’s
death.
Certainly Jesus wouldn’t get angry about something like this!
Just let it go…
Righteous anger aside for a moment, even seeking the truth and
attempting to make the truth known gets met with a certain
skewed logic: Jesus would forgive—why can’t you?
Can’t we forgive and still seek answer, still attempt to seek the
truth?
That Man of righteous anger, that Man of ultimate grace said
one other thing I find important to note—something about
attaining freedom.
It wasn’t letting it go that would set us free.
It wasn’t keeping quiet that would set us free.
It wasn’t excuses or appeasement or anything like that…
It was the truth.
The Truth, He said, the Truth will set us free.
m.c. merrill
REMORSE
Sincere remorse can be a fine thing.
When someone does wrong and asks for forgiveness, sincerely
asks for forgiveness, most good people do find it in their hearts
to forgive.
Upon the far side of any wrong, sometimes, just sometimes,
true grace can be discovered in the coming together of remorse,
forgiveness, and reconciliation.
The result can be freedom for all parties involved.
Do we need remorse to forgive?
Probably not.
“Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!”
I find it interesting that this admonition for forgiveness was
coming from the same Guy who demonstrated quite a bit of
righteous anger earlier that week. He took a whip to money
changers outside the temple in Jerusalem, the City of Peace, the
City of God.
Less than a week later, that same Man uttered those magnificent
words—Father, forgive them—while experiencing pain
unimaginable.
How do we reconcile these two moments—this act of righteous
anger and these words of ultimate grace?
Some have used The Savior and his death to excuse Tammy’s
death.
Certainly Jesus wouldn’t get angry about something like this!
Just let it go…
Righteous anger aside for a moment, even seeking the truth and
attempting to make the truth known gets met with a certain
skewed logic: Jesus would forgive—why can’t you?
Can’t we forgive and still seek answer, still attempt to seek the
truth?
That Man of righteous anger, that Man of ultimate grace said
one other thing I find important to note—something about
attaining freedom.
It wasn’t letting it go that would set us free.
It wasn’t keeping quiet that would set us free.
It wasn’t excuses or appeasement or anything like that…
It was the truth.
The Truth, He said, the Truth will set us free.
m.c. merrill
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