“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” — Luke 23:34
Someone once said, “Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.” That simple statement contains a profound truth.
When we refuse to forgive, the person we are angry with may continue living life without ever thinking about us. Meanwhile, bitterness quietly takes root in our own hearts. Anger grows. Peace disappears. Joy fades. Our relationship with God can suffer because our hearts become occupied with yesterday’s wounds instead of today’s blessings.
Unforgiveness is a prison whose door can only be unlocked from the inside.
The Greatest Act of Forgiveness Ever Given
The greatest example of forgiveness the world has ever witnessed came from God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Out of infinite love, the Father sent His only Son into the world to redeem us.
How did humanity respond?
We rejected Him.
We mocked Him.
We humiliated Him.
We scourged Him until His body was torn.
We pressed a crown of thorns upon His sacred head.
We forced Him to carry the heavy Cross through the streets to Calvary.
Then we nailed Him to that Cross and lifted Him high before the crowds so they could continue to mock and ridicule Him.
Yet in the midst of unimaginable suffering, Jesus spoke words that continue to echo through history:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Those words were not spoken only for the Roman soldiers.
They were spoken for every sinner who has ever lived—including you and me.
Every sin, from the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden until the last person born before the end of time, was present before Christ. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He willingly accepted the weight of our sins because of His immeasurable love for us.
He chose forgiveness instead of revenge.
He chose mercy instead of condemnation.
He chose love instead of hatred.
Why Is Forgiveness So Difficult?
Often, we struggle to forgive because we continue living in yesterday.
We replay the hurt.
We replay the conversation.
We replay the betrayal.
The past becomes our home.
But God is always inviting us into the present moment.
Yesterday cannot be changed.
Tomorrow has not yet arrived.
Grace is found today.
Peace is found today.
God meets us today.
When we constantly live in the past, we keep reopening wounds that Christ wants to heal.
Forgiveness does not mean pretending the hurt never happened.
It does not mean saying that evil was acceptable.
It does not always mean trusting the person again.
Forgiveness means placing the hurt into God’s hands instead of carrying it ourselves.
It means refusing to let bitterness control our hearts any longer.
The Father Is Waiting
Jesus beautifully illustrated God’s love in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.
The father never stopped watching the road.
He never stopped hoping.
The moment his son returned, he ran to embrace him.
He clothed him.
He restored him.
Then he celebrated with a great feast.
That is our Heavenly Father.
Every one of us has wandered away from Him at one time or another.
Every one of us has needed mercy.
Every one of us has depended upon God’s forgiveness.
If God has forgiven us so generously, how can we refuse to forgive others?
A Prayer for the Grace to Forgive
If there is someone you have struggled to forgive, begin with a simple prayer.
“Lord Jesus, I cannot do this by myself. The hurt is real, and You know my heart. Give me the grace to forgive as You forgave me. Heal what is broken within me. Replace anger with peace, bitterness with love, and resentment with mercy. Help me to live in Your presence today rather than in yesterday’s pain. Amen.”
The Choice That Brings Freedom
Forgiveness is not weakness.
It is strength.
It is not surrendering to evil.
It is surrendering to God.
The Cross reminds us that love is stronger than hatred, mercy is greater than revenge, and forgiveness always has the final word.
Today, let us place our hurts at the foot of the Cross.
Let us leave behind the poison of resentment.
Let us receive the mercy Christ purchased for us.
And let us walk forward with peaceful hearts, knowing that our loving Father is waiting with open arms, ready to welcome every one of His sons and daughters home to the everlasting feast of Heaven.
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Rick Herring thmjmj@gmail.com
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A Father’s Day Invitation from Your Heavenly Father
Come As You Are
On this Father’s Day in the United States, there is a Father who longs to see you just as you are.
Not the polished version.
Not the version that tries to impress others.
Not the version hidden behind titles, accomplishments, or appearances.
Just you.
The real you.
Your Heavenly Father is not asking for perfection. He is asking for your presence.
Like the prodigal son in the Gospel, many of us have wandered. Some have wandered far from God. Others sit faithfully in church each week while carrying wounds, fears, regrets, and disappointments deep within their hearts.
Yet the Father’s invitation remains the same:
“Come home.”
The Father Who Waits
In the parable of the prodigal son, the father never stopped loving his child.
He watched.
He waited.
He hoped.
And when he saw his son returning from a distance, he did not condemn him. He did not lecture him. He did not shame him.
Instead, he ran to him.
He embraced him.
He welcomed him home.
That is how God feels about each one of us.
Many people spend their lives searching for love, acceptance, and belonging. Yet our Heavenly Father has already prepared all of these things for us. His heart longs for us to receive the love He freely offers.
Let God Love You
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is simply accept that we are loved.
We know our mistakes.
We remember our failures.
We see our weaknesses.
But God sees something more.
He sees the son He created.
He sees the daughter He formed.
He sees a beloved child made in His image.
When we come before Him in humility, He lifts us up. When we surrender our burdens, He carries them. When we acknowledge our need for Him, He fills us with His grace.
The Father does not merely tolerate you.
He delights in you.
The Feast Is Waiting
The father in the Gospel did not merely welcome his son home.
He prepared a feast.
That feast symbolizes the joy of life with God and the fellowship of His family.
At God’s table there is room for everyone.
There is peace for the troubled.
There is hope for the discouraged.
There is healing for the wounded.
There is joy for the weary.
There is love beyond anything this world can offer.
God desires that we share this feast with our brothers and sisters, encouraging one another and growing together in faith.
Love Poured Out on the Cross
The greatest proof of the Father’s love was revealed on Calvary.
Jesus Christ stretched out His arms upon the Cross and poured out His life for us.
Every drop of His Precious Blood proclaimed the same message:
“You are loved.”
The Cross is not a symbol of defeat.
It is the greatest victory of love the world has ever known.
God did not wait for us to become perfect before loving us.
He loved us first.
He loves us now.
And He will love us forever.
A Peace Beyond Understanding
Today, your Heavenly Father invites you to stop running.
Stop hiding.
Stop pretending.
Come as you are.
Bring your hopes.
Bring your fears.
Bring your sins.
Bring your wounds.
Bring your entire heart.
Allow Him to embrace you with His mercy and fill you with a peace beyond understanding.
Surrender yourself to His loving care.
Become the child of God He created you to be.
For you were made for more than this world can offer.
You were created for eternal life, eternal joy, and eternal communion with the Father who loves you beyond measure.
And His invitation remains open today:
Come home. Come as you are.
“See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God.” — 1 John 3:1
Happy Father’s Day, and may God the Father bless you abundantly with His love, peace, and joy. 🙏
and may you accept it and embrace it. Make Your Father in Heaven very happy as you come to and truly accept His Eternal, Pease, and Joy. Live with Passion. Live for God today. He is truly living for you.
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