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"Then Peter came to Him and said, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'"
(Matthew 18:21-22)
Our first day in San Diego last week, we were able to hear Jeff Bramstedt share his testimony. Jeff served our country as a Navy SEAL. Today he is a successful businessman and the CEO of Skydive San Diego/Tactical Air Operations. Jeff told our group of pastors at the retreat hosted by Pray.com how he was adopted as a baby. He had wonderful Christian adoptive parents, but when he became an adult, he said he resented how his biological mom gave him up for adoption. He struggled with something everyone must deal with at one point and time in their lives: unforgiveness.
Jeff told us how a friend asked if he could pray for him. He told the man, "Yes, you can pray for me." While the man was praying, Jeff said he had a vision in which he saw a long hallway with a person sitting in a chair at the end of the hallway. He said that even though he could not see the person's face, he knew it was his biological mother. He said in this vision, he could hear people telling his mom to abort him, but each time she refused and was determined to do the right thing and deliver her baby boy. Jeff said it was a powerful moment for him. He no longer held bitterness for his mom but chose to forgive and appreciate her for the sacrifice she made to carry him to term and deliver him instead of having him aborted.
All of us are going to be hurt or offended by another person at some point. It is harder when it is someone we love and trust like a parent or a close relative. We have a choice whether we will forgive the offender or choose not to forgive and carry that heavy weight of resentment. But if we are followers of Jesus, we have no choice but to forgive. God has forgiven us all our sins through Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross. When we gave our lives to Jesus, we were completely forgiven and given the power to forgive others. But extending forgiveness can be difficult. I love how Jesus answered Peter's question on how often he should forgive someone who has wronged him. Peter thought seven times would be a good number, but Jesus did not. He told Peter that he had to forgive seventy times seven. Jesus was not saying the answer is 490 times; rather, He was telling Peter, and all His disciples, both then and today, that we are to forgive every time!
For some reading this, you know you cannot do it in your own power. I know I cannot. I have learned that I must choose to forgive and obey Jesus every time. We must have proper boundaries with certain people. Even then, however, when they cross those boundaries, as often is the case on social media, we still must choose to forgive and leave the results up to God. The temptation will also always be there to get revenge on our enemies, but that is not a wise choice to make. A better option is to pray, forgive, and give it over to God. Then repeat as necessary.
How are you doing with forgiveness? I pray that you will truly forgive and walk in freedom and joy.
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