AS far as east is to west such is
the victorious love of God to achieve what we ever hope for in this lifetime.
But, there’s a catch. It is meant to feel impossible. And that is certainly the
case with forgiveness.
The famous first line in Rudyard
Kipling’s Ballad of East and West
goes: “OH, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…”
We haven’t been exposed to all of
what forgiveness has to teach us until we’ve found it impossible to forgive. Until such a time as we are but one of two ‘powerful’
(and polarised) sides, and locked into that position… and never the twain shall
meet. As far as reality is concerned, they may never apologise!
For at least one side (let’s
presume that’s present company) such a position leaves us vulnerable to ongoing
bitterness. Past holds present captive. Past holds future to ransom.
The paradox of forgiveness is
bitterness is the last thing we want or wish to admit. We don’t want to be the unforgiving kind. But
that’s where we find ourselves, before, that is, we move on beyond bitterness
into God’s inevitable triumph for our holistic lives. Again, we had to find it
impossible before God could first cure us of being blind to our own conceit. We
have the capacity for bitterness like everyone else.
Now to truth that has incredible power
in it:
Forgiveness heals the past and it
frees us to invest in the future. It makes of the present a state of sweet shalom.
It’s easier to let go of something
dear — what we feel embittered by — when we envisage something dearer. And is
there anything dearer than the thought of reconciling the dimensions of our time?
When peace is made with the past,
hopes for future build and blossom, and joy for the present is possible.
This truth known, bitterness can
fall away, as we stride away from that which no longer holds any interest.
The baggage we’ve strained to hold
for too long now is unworthy of carrying anymore.
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