“14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15, NIV)
Lent is a time for us to intentionally examine our hearts before God. We remember that we are dust, and to dust we shall return, yet we are deeply loved by God our Creator. By willingly giving His only Son for us, God shows that His grace reaches out to us first, freely forgiving our sins and restoring our broken relationship with Him.
However, Jesus Christ reminds us that the forgiveness we have received from God should not end with us. We are meant to forgive others just as God has forgiven us.
Yet forgiving can be difficult. We may have been hurt or disappointed in the past and find it hard to forgive. Sometimes it is because our ego has been bruised. During Lent, we are invited to bring these struggles honestly before God.
In the Methodist tradition, grace is central to our faith, a teaching strongly emphasized by John Wesley. God’s grace comes before us, seeks us, forgives us, and transforms us. Through the Holy Spirit, God continues to work within us so that we may extend mercy to others. Forgiveness becomes not just a command from God, but it is also a work of grace within us.
Lent invites us to let go of what we are holding tightly—anger, resentment, bitterness, and place them into God’s hands. When we forgive, we participate in God’s redeeming work. We become channels of the same grace that has healed us.
Reflection:
Is there someone you are struggling to forgive? Pray that God will soften your heart and begin the work of grace within you.
Prayer:
Merciful God, You have forgiven me even though I do not deserve Your grace. During this Lenten season, search my heart. Reveal to me those who have hurt me and remove the bitterness within me. Through Your grace, teach me to forgive as Christ forgives. In Jesus’ Name i pray, Amen.
