Forgive and Forget

According to Psalm 103:8-9, "The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will He harbor His anger forever..." Let God be our Great Model, so that we will understand the shortcomings of others. Let the love in our hearts be overflowing so that we will truly love and forgive our neighbors.

Way back in 1981, when I was still new in the renewal movement, I would joyfully share with those who came to my office the love and goodness of God and how He changed my life. One day, when I was with a certain group, I noticed a woman who was crying. Two weeks later, the woman returned to my office, saying, "Mr. Velarde, I was with the group who offered you a piece of land last week. I have not been on speaking terms with my husband after I caught him in the act with his other woman. 

When you were sharing with us the goodness of God, I realized that if I refuse to forgive my husband, forget his infidelity, and restore our broken relationship, both of us will suffer for a long time. So, when I got home, I repented of my sins and asked for His forgiveness. Instantly, the chest pain that I had been suffering from for the last five years, which had not been relieved by any medication, disappeared. Since then, I have experienced an inner peace, and eventually my ailment was healed."

Saint Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, says: "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead..." (Philippians 3:13). Let us learn to forgive and forget our painful experiences, such as the infidelity of our husband or wife, the acts of disrespect and rebellion of our children, misunderstandings between friends, and all offenses against us. Let us surrender these to God for it is only He Who can heal our wounded hearts. As it is written in Genesis 41:51, "...God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household."

In his letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4, verses 30 to 32, St. Paul says: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Let us not make the Holy Spirit sad because of our ingratitude and unforgiveness. If we believe that we are really forgiven, we should express our gratitude by sharing and testifying about His goodness to others, so that they will also come to know God and be one with us in thanking and praising Him.

The choice is ours! If we want peace and long life, let us accept the forgiveness of God and forgive those who have hurt our feelings and who have been ungrateful to us.

Perhaps you might ask me, "Bro. Mike, I am a drug addict, a habitual liar, a social outcast, a hardened criminal, an adulterer, a swindler: will God still listen to me as I am?" Yes, for God tells us in Isaiah 65:1, "...I said, ‘Here I Am, here I Am,’ to a nation that did not call upon My Name. I have stretched out My hands all the day to a rebellious people..." And according to Isaiah 30:18, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion..."

But Satan wants us to believe that we are hopeless sinners and cannot be totally forgiven by God. Remember brothers and sisters, it was not with perishable things such as silver and gold that we were redeemed from the curse of the law, but with the precious Blood of Jesus Christ. This means that all the sins we have committed since childhood have been forgiven by El Shaddai, not because of our good works, but because of His goodness. If we believe in this Good News, turn away from our wicked ways, and accept God's gift of salvation and forgiveness, we will experience His goodness. God continuously reaches out to us with His love and forgiveness, saying, "Come now, let us reason together... Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:18). And as we live a new life in Christ, we shall witness God's miracles unfolding before us in our life.

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