Have you ever done something you really think you wouldn't be able to do? I remember back when I was 14, I had entered an Olympic Triathlon that my parents were doing. I was stoked and I had been on a swim team for a little while, so I was confident that I would do well. However, there was a little thought in the back of my mind going, "Wow, I have to swim a mile THEN ride your bike 26.2 miles and THEN run for 6 miles... Can I really do it?" Even with that going on in the back of my mind, I had no idea how tough it would be. That nice summer morning at Lake Quassapaug (Yes, the one by that Quassy amusement park) as I dove into the water surrounded by what seemed to be hundreds of swimmers, I started to get a glimpse of how hard it all would be. Thankfully, the swim was cut in half due to foggy conditions. However, getting out of the water after and trying to get my shoes on and ride that bike took incredible focus and determination. It wasn't easy and I felt pretty bad. I did fairly well on the bike portion, but my chain fell off at one point and I had to get it reattached, which stressed me out royally. After the strenuous bike ride, I started running the final leg. Six miles of running is long enough by itself, but add that on to the rest of the activities and you're definitely hurting, tired and not really feeling like you can make it. When I finally saw that finish line out in the distance with many people standing around it, I was suddenly hit with a burst of energy and excitement that you can only understand if you've run a race like that.

For many of us, forgiveness takes the same sort of effort and tenacity that an endurance athlete needs, but on the emotional and spiritual front, which can be both more difficult and harder to analyze then a physical event. By God's grace, many of us have walked through very difficult situations and been able to forgive those who have hurt us. However, some of us have even given up halfway through or have not even entered the race. What I want to say today is that, unlike with the race I ran, there are massive repercussions to your entire life and eternal life if you don't finish it. Let's jump right into Matthew 18:21-35 to see what Jesus has to say about the power of forgiveness, as well as the dangers of unforgiveness:

"Then Peter came up and said to him, 'Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants.  When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents.  And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made.  So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything." And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt.

If the story stopped there, this would just be a happy, light story about God's forgiveness, but there is something dark in us that Jesus wanted to address here. Let's read further into this story:

"But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, "Pay what you owe." So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, "Have patience with me, and I will pay you." He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, "You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?" And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.'”

I feel like very few people carry with them the kind of response that I believe Jesus wanted from this story. If you haven't been hit with a deep sense of Godly fear after reading that section, you better read it again, especially that last sentence. However, once we accept that Godly fear and turn to him for help, he is faithful and just to help us! Thank God that he is willing and able to give us the grace and strength to truly forgive!

I want you to understand the burst of energy and excitement that can come, not from running a physical race, but from battling through unforgiveness to the point where you have totally been set free from it. I'm not going to cover the steps to forgiveness in this blog since that would take up much too much space. However, this blog was not about how to forgive, but why. In our Christian walk, why can be the most important and underestimated question to ask. For example, as Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." But why? "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Wow! That's a powerful reason. I'll cover more on asking Why in another blog, but I want you to apply it right now to forgiveness. The reasons why you should forgive includes, but is not limited to: God demands it for our own sake, and we are spiritually crippled when we don't forgive. The process of forgiveness can definitely suck at times, but if, in those times, we turn to God for assistance, he will lift us up!

Pray this with me today as you start or continue your journey in forgiving someone or a group of people: God, I admit that I cannot truly and righteously forgive without you. Please help me to move forward in my trip through your heart to achieve true forgiveness. Give me the grace that comes through prayer and close communion with you and my Christian brothers and sisters.I trust that you will give me what I need and help guide me through this. Right now, I act in faith, lifting up _________ (names) to you and I say I forgive them, not through my own strength, but yours. Finally, I thank you God for all you have done for me, and I praise your wonderful name and glorious understanding of the human heart. You know that forgiveness is essential, and we thank you for giving us the strength to do it! Amen!