Son, your sins are forgiven. (Mark 2:5)
I find myself praying with people at my church fairly often. Often, an issue comes up and needs to be addressed with forgiveness. This powerful, God-given tool has helped set so many people free. Yet, it seems that even though I help others recognize their need to forgive, I often miss it when it’s right under my nose.
My children are young. They are constantly learning. They also frequently make mistakes, and sometimes just blatantly do wrong. Recently, I went to bed angry at them for their behavior that day. Going to bed angry is like trying to smother a fire by covering it with dry leaves. The next morning I woke up, and the Holy Spirit immediately spoke to me. He said that I needed to forgive my children. This felt strange, since they didn’t do anything remarkably terrible. It was just an accumulation of little frustrations. Yet God said to forgive, so I did. And I started the day new!
Our family relationships revolve around the necessities of life. Paying the bills. Doing the laundry. Dropping the kids off at practice. Eating meals together. These tangible needs often get all our attention, and we can fail to recognize the need to forgive one another. When Jesus saw the paralyzed man, his physical need was obvious. But he didn’t miss the man’s deeper spiritual need.
Forgive a family member for their wrongs.
Jarod Osborne is lead pastor of Pathway [Wesleyan] Church, in Warsaw, Indiana. He is the author of Jaded Faith (WPH).
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
