4 Reasons to Forgive, Let Go, and Live

By Deborah Pegues –

I’ve had to forgive many offenses in my lifetime—from a Ponzi financial rip-off, to a molestation, to a botched foot surgery. However, my pain pales in comparison to that of the families of the nine victims of the recent Charleston, South Carolina church shooting. When they declared their forgiveness at shooter Dylann Roof’s bond hearing, the world was stunned.

Such undeserved mercy begged the question, “Where does one get the strength to let go and to make such a resolve?”

The truth is that Bible-believing Christians are predisposed to letting go of the anger and desire for revenge based primarily on four tenets of their faith:

1. God has foreknowledge of every evil act and the power to stop it but allows some things to happen for a greater purpose (Romans 8:28). Christians call it His sovereignty—His divine prerogative to orchestrate life’s events. While they honor and submit to it, they often struggle with trying to understand and accept it. Dylann Roof wanted to start a race war between blacks and whites, but his actions immediately had the opposite effect as people of all races united to decry his crime. A greater purpose prevailed.
2. Forgiving others is a prerequisite for being forgiven (Matthew 6:15). Thus, if a Christian does not forgive his offender, God will not forgive his personal sins and transgressions. And, who doesn’t need forgiveness on a regular basis? If God only forgives those who forgive others, holding a grudge would cause them to “shoot themselves in the foot” and jeopardize their own forgiveness!
3. Only God has the authority to avenge a wrong, to “even the score” (Romans 12:19). While fantasizing about retaliation and revenge may bring fleeting satisfaction and relief for the raw emotions of hurt and anger, Christians submit to the admonition that “vengeance belongs to God.” To retaliate would be to usurp His authority, to take His job. Of course, this doesn’t mean that Christians shouldn’t seek justice via the judicial system, but they know it’s critical to their spiritual and emotional well being to leave “payback” to God.
4. God gives His children the desire and the power to execute His commands (Philippians 2:13)– which include extending to others the undeserved mercy He has extended to them. This is the secret to emotional healing. And, while Christians may make the decision to forgive immediately as an act of their will in obedience to God, they understand that like physical healing, emotional healing is indeed a process. How well or how soon their wounded emotions have healed is not the deciding factor in determining whether they have forgiven an offender. They expect God, much like a fitness trainer, to “spot” or assist them when the weight of it all is too heavy to lift in their own strength.

As Bible-believing Christians continue to practice their fundamental beliefs and to declare their decision to forgive in the midst of painful and bewildering situations, a greater purpose will indeed prevail. The world may continue to be stunned by such forgiveness, but perhaps the masses will also be inspired to respond similarly.

In the mean time, let’s continue to pray for unity, justice, and racial healing in the USA.

Deborah Pegues, Bestselling author, Interpersonal Communications Expert, International speaker, author of the upcoming Forgive, Let Go, and Live (Harvest House Publishers, Aug. 2015)

www.ConfrontingIssues.com