The Sweet Scent of Forgiveness

 

How do we know the right time to go to someone and ask them to forgive us? I don’t want to go to an angry and dissatisfied person and ask forgiveness if God has not prompted me with his perfect timing. Only He knows when that person’s heart is ready to accept my apology. Only God knows if that person’s discontent has softened enough to hear my request for forgiveness.

Prayer paves the way for forgiveness to happen. When we allow the Holy Spirit to have His way in our lives and when we are in communion with Him about broken relationships, you can know that He will let you know when and how this is to take place

We make forgiveness out to be so hard, when actually, it is easier than you might think. The thought of having to go to that person produces a larger than life scenario. In our own strength, we dread it. We fret over it. We put it off. We wonder how that person will react. We question what people might think of us if the confrontation does not turn out as you hope. What if he/she has no plans to forgive you? What if this person laughs at you or even yells at you, calls you a name and tells you to go away? What then? Well, you do it anyway, but only if you feel God has told you to.

To ask for forgiveness does not mean that this person will change, hug you, smile at you and say, “Of course.” It might mean that he will turn away from you, say something mean, or laugh at your attempt. That doesn’t matter. If God has told you to, then you do it anyway, leaving the results to Him and accepting the fact that you might never know how it all turned out. Your part is to be obedient; God’s part is to receive your obedience.

B. J. Funk
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