First of all, a disclaimer: This is not about football. This blog will never be about football because this writer knows nothing about the game. I am generously giving this post a pigskin-ish title due to a Monday morning reflection after a sermon that hit home with me. Sorry if I got your hopes up about the Super Bowl or something, but honestly, I rarely know who’s playing, much less enough to comment on it. At any rate if you are still reading, I hope you forgive the misnomer in the title long enough to derive a point from this rambling.
I generally take home one point from a sermon, even if it is very good, and it often is not the main one, probably because my mind or heart gets stuck on a place where God and I have some business to attend. We had a guest speaker from the International Missions Board yesterday. Dr. Bob Reccord spoke of “The Joy of a Clean Slate.” It was based on the Scripture including the Lord ’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-14. He spoke on forgiveness. Chances are I have gotten some of this out of context, and I will not go into the details, so if you want to go hear the sermon for clarity, check here.
The first point on what forgiveness is went something like “forgiveness is the cancellation of debt whether the wound is real or perceived.” That could be a post in itself, but the second one still has my full attention. He said that “authentic forgiveness includes restoring a view of worth to the offender.” Often, I believe I have forgiven someone, but I don’t know if I get to this point. I tend to put them in the “Other” category of people who could hurt you so watch out. I do it not as judgment so much as a perceived protection from being hurt again. It may be judgment, too, but it feels more like a fear of trust. It strikes me that I haven’t done the full business of forgiveness, and this is not how I want to be forgiven by the Lord, based on Matthew 6:14. I want full restoration, and yet I fail so often to extend it myself. Forgiveness from God is given not because we deserve it but because we need it to walk in relationship with Him. The final point Dr. Reccord made was that forgiveness is “ceasing to withhold the possibility of restored relationship.” Now, I’m stuck on point number two, but digest that if you can also. Just as God restores our relationship with Him, that is the kind of forgiveness I should be extending.
Lord, You know this heart needs much work, so I ask again. Help me to not only forgive but see others as You do, with restored value and worth, withholding nothing by Your Grace.
Give us generous hearts, Lord, to learn Grace from You and offer it as freely to others as You have unto us. Amen.
annette geffert 
Annie, I hope you have a marvelous time tonight, worshipping our Lord! Breaking Free, what fun….well, you know what I mean! I’m jealous!
Thank you for posting this message. I wanted to share with Kelly what you said about forgiveness and restoring worth to the person, but wasn’t sure I had it exactly right, so I was happy to see that you posted about it! Thanks for posting the link to the sermon too, as I definitely want to hear it.
Hope you have a wonderful time tonight, dear friend. I love you!
Jean
PS Bev, you crack me up!
I LOVE the sand dollar!! I still haven’t figured out how to add a picture to my name when I comment. It looks great and I’m sure the sand dollar has some deep meaning for you… and probably me too If I know you! Maybe you can teach me how to add a picture to mine?
Love you and your blog!
Angie xoxo
Are you doing Breaking Free???
OOOOHHHH!
Beckle that bult — that’s what I said on Fran’s blog cause I write like I talk sometimes, you know—you see, I thought it was funny so I left it and I’m sure people are staring at that saying that poor lady!!! She laughs at herself. I am ROTFL over here and it’s not that funny. I am so tickled. Having a conversation here with myself. Oh dear. And I keep thinking how could you have changed that much in your face!!!1 Wrong blog.
ps – I LOVE Daniel 12:3 – reminds me of Annette, that would be YOU.
I love warm winter evenings. Just me and the dog here. I had the a/c on today though. And I am very happy in my heart about to start a new Bible study tomorrow! I love Tuesdays.
great thoughts annette…
how are you tonight
this warm night?
happy in your heart??
I have a problem with the second part as well. It is definitely a matter of trust. I never thought about this, but it I keep waiting for them to hurt me again. So, what you are saying is that we really give them a clean slate as if they never offended us in the first place? FULL restoration! Thank you for sharing this… it was no accident for me to hear this.
Love you,
Angie xoxo
Seriously….I just prayed this exact thing TODAY in the car for me regarding someone else!!!!!!!!
I need to restore them and give them worth…..put them back in the place where God sees us all the time….
Thank you Jesus for giving me this word!
Hugs~
Fran
Gosh, don’t we all need to hear that!?
A good and humble post, Annie.Hugs.
Wow. I think the “forgiveness is the cancellation of debt whether the wound is real or perceived” could definitely be used when parenting a child with “unique issues.” That’s a pretty powerful statement on it’s own and I will have to give it some thought. (My eldest child has anxiety/panic issues so we walk on a lot of eggshells at our house.) So I guess I am stuck on point number one. Maybe eventually I can work my way up to points two and three. Thanks for the insight (and the lack of football posting.)