Out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. – Matthew 18:27
For millennia, people who were indigent and unable or unwilling to pay debts they had incurred were sent to debtors’ prisons, or in some cases workhouses, where they would work at less than menial compensation until their debt was paid or they had secured funds elsewhere to pay them. The United States had debtors’ prisons until the years before the Civil War, and they were ultimately declared illegal under the Bankruptcy Reform Act of 1978. However, courts will still imprison people who avoid paying court fees or fines.
While the debts in Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant are monetary, there are many other “debts” one person may owe another, debts that require the similar sort of forgiveness that a bankruptcy allows in the case of financial debt.
Forgiveness is a rational decision, not an emotional one. It takes courage to forgive someone who has wronged you.
Sometimes, this is a process that does not happen all at once.
As you persist in turning the person and situation over to the Lord, releasing your pain, and receiving His healing, the emotions associated with those wounds diminish and eventually vanish.
Unforgiveness builds walls between individuals, but forgiveness builds bridges.
A new mindset replaces the old. Even if reconciliation with a person is not possible, your forgiveness of others strengthens the “bridge“ between your heart and God’s.
Pray for the Lord to remove the walls that have been built by actions and resentments among families, communities, and within government. Ask Him to draw Americans to be transformed into the character that comes from knowing Christ, which will soften hearts, enable forgiveness, and heal damaging memories.
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