08-04-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 4, 2023
Someone posted a picture of a sign outside a church that read: "The most influential person in your life is the one you refuse to forgive." That might be one of the most truthful statements that too few people understand. In Galatians 5:1, Paul writes: "Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don’t submit to the bondage of slavery again." From the story of the Exodus to the story of the resurrection, we are a people who proclaim the Good News of liberation and deliverance, yet sadly, we have too often allowed bitterness or resentment to have the final say on what will have the greatest authority in our lives. In the end, we chain ourselves to what is unhealthy and oppressive. It is time to begin the hard work of forgiving, if for no other reason than that we are too precious to be defined and weighed down by what is not life-giving.

​Give me the strength and courage to do whatever it takes to forgive, O Strong and Merciful Creator, for I have no desire to be under the oppressive authority of someone who brought hurt into my life. Amen.