Jeremiah 31:34
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
All of us have experienced the loss of a loved one at one time or another. It's never easy and the recovery can take months or even years. I was told by a wise pastor one time shortly before my father passed away, that I should go to my dad and ask for forgiveness for anything and everything that I had done to him over the course of my life and his. I'm talking about every slanderous word I had said about him, every fight we'd had, bad thought, mischievous deed, and just lack of respect a kid has for his parents at one time or another. I should also say to him that I forgive him of anything he did to me. I didn't realize the beauty, the pain, and the release of weight that I had. As my father lay comatose in the hospital bed, I hugged him, and said those words of forgiveness. What a powerful thing! I cried like I never had before as I held a dying man. I wasn't sure he could hear me or if he understood. When I finally lifted my head from his shoulder after what seemed like 30 minutes, I saw a tear running down his face. I know he heard me. Later that night I watched his spirit leave his sick body and go home to the Lord.
Jesus himself told us we should put our faith in his word. But do we? We put our trust in other things but do we in Jesus? What is edifying is that Jeremiah promised that the Lord was not only coming but that he would forgive us of our transgressions. If you are holding on to something today that is keeping you from being closer to a family member, fellow employee, neighbor or someone who has hurt you, ask God to give you the grace to forgive them. Like God forgives us of the messes we make, we should do the same.
