Forgiven

 

 

Yesterday, I walked into Mardell’s wearing a shirt that simply said, Forgiven. I didn’t think much about it until a young woman sat down beside me and asked to talk about that word. She reminded me of something we all need to hear: forgiveness is not about excusing what was done. It’s about releasing the burden we were never meant to carry.

 

She explained that forgiven comes from the foresight of God Himself. He gave His only Son to die a brutal death on the cross so that we might have the path to heaven (John 3:16 CJB). Yeshua carried our punishment. If the Father could forgive us at that cost, who are we to withhold forgiveness from others?

 

When we refuse to forgive, we chain ourselves to pain that Christ already bore. Forgiveness doesn’t say, “What you did was okay.” It says, “I will not keep this burden—because my Savior already carried it.”

 

So today, remember: every time we forgive, we echo the cross. Every time we release bitterness, we honor the One who set us free. “Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has also forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32 CJB)
 

-Rev Carlos Figueroa