Nail holes


     According to the Lord’s Prayer the forgiveness we receive is contingent upon how we forgive others. In fact Jesus said that our Heavenly Father will withhold forgiveness from us if we withhold forgiveness from others. God takes forgiveness very seriously and so should we. None of us is perfect. We all have our faults. It really comes down to treating others the same way we would want to be treated should roles be reversed. 

     I’m pretty sure everyone has needed forgiveness once or twice in our lives. A time when we hurt someone deeply by our words, actions or both! Asking to be forgiven takes a lot of humility. It’s not easy to admit we have failed someone, or that we brought them great hurt and pain. I’m reminded of the story of the little boy that grandpa was trying to explain the concept of forgiveness. Grandpa told the boy to drive a nail into the fence post. He explained that is what it was like when we hurt someone like driving a nail into them. Then he told the boy to take out the nail. After the boy removed the nail grandpa explained that forgiveness in a nutshell was removing the thing causing the hurt. Then he pointed to the nail hole and told the small boy that even after we’ve been forgiven there will always be a scar left behind.

      We are called upon by God to forgive others and realize that we have wounded someone who will often have a scar from the injury. We learn to forgive when we remember our own scars left by others and how they can still hurt and cause us pain. Today, choose to be kind to everyone and look past their faults and see someone that Christ died for and loves very much. Forgive and you will be forgiven.

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