The 18th century poet Alexander Pope first penned the phrase, “To err is human; to forgive is divine.” While it is clever, I think the statement is only partly true. Thankfully, forgiving is one of the attributes of God as we all err with predictable regularity. We say mean and bad things, tell lies, and think unkind thoughts; especially in heavy traffic. But progress would be impossible without trial and error. It’s the willingness to see our errors that is key to learning anything new. With this in mind, there is a sense of relief in knowing that God is not looking for perfection, just an honest admission when we fail.
Forgiveness is not just limited to God. Most people are extremely forgiving because personal relationships would simply be impossible if they weren’t. We could never love another person if we didn’t make it a regular practice to forgive the knuckleheaded things they are inclined to do.
This reminds me of another popular saying I struggle with; “To forgive is to forget.” Really, is that even possible? The brain functions in such a way that every single experience is indelibly etched into our minds. This is why in near-death-experiences our life story passes before our eyes. The past hasn’t been forgotten; it just wasn’t recalled until that moment.
God doesn’t forget either. Rather, He chooses to not make our shortcomings a disqualifying factor in our relationship with Him. He refuses to recall our past transgressions because on the cross Jesus paid for all sins; past, present and future.
The same is true when we forgive those who trespass against us. We don’t forget; we just let it go. We choose not to recall it. We no longer use the past as a reference point in our relationship.
There is one more saying I find challenging to accept; “You have to forgive yourself in order to be forgiven.” The truth is, I rarely think that something is really my fault. I am more than ready to forgive myself for some wrong I have done because at the core, I don’t think I am responsible for what happened. Somehow, “you” or someone else made me do it!
I’m not saying that people don’t have regrets because we sometimes do. It’s just that the sorrow we feel is often more about personal disappointment than remorse. We are let down by our own poor performance because we think we are above such dastardly deeds. However, our sins prove we are not; and our shame is really centered on what others will think of us when they find out.
The Bible is clear: It is our fault! In the end, there is no one else to blame. At the same time, God doesn’t quibble about whether we were the victim or victimizer. He just offers, without charge, to forgive all who ask in Jesus’ name to be forgiven and saved from sin. It’s a divine do-over; and we need it every day.
Pastor Ken Ortize