“God sees us as we are, loves us as we are, and accepts us as we are. But by His grace, He doesn’t leave us as we are.” ~ Tim Keller
I had suspected something was going on for a while. I kept trying to convince myself that maybe I was just imagining things; that what I thought might be going on behind the scenes wasn’t real. A few days would pass, a week or two would pass, and I’d get distracted by something else. But every time I saw the guy, a bad feeling came over me like a dark cloud.
There were whispers here and there from others who were acquainted with him. They too had their misgivings about the guy, but no one seemed interested in confronting him.
After allowing these bad thoughts to consume my mind for far too long, I finally mustered the courage to make a phone call one afternoon. Not to the guy, but rather to someone who could point me to the truth.
Sadly, that phone call would confirm all of the suspicions. That dark cloud opened up to a storm, sending a destructive path of lies and betrayal.
People let us down sometimes. Sometimes it’s an unkept promise, sometimes it’s a reckless lapse of judgment, and sometimes it’s just an intentional selfish decision. When it happens, it stings. Some of us begin asking ourselves a few questions. How did I not see this? Or Why did I not address this sooner? Or How could I let this happen? We start placing a portion of the blame on ourselves. Although this is sometimes natural, it is nevertheless unwarranted and unhealthy.
People are human. And although some are definitely more human than others, the fact of the matter is that every single person has the capacity to destroy the trust of others on some human level. We experience this at work, in school, at home, and even in church sometimes. And although we don’t want to openly admit it, sometimes we are the betrayers.
Forgiveness is hard in some of these circumstances. Really hard. But here’s the deal: Do I want God Himself to judge me as harshly as I do others sometimes? No way!
I have to be willing to forgive. It may take a while for me to forget, and there’s a chance that perhaps I may never get to that point of never thinking about it again. But as forgiveness goes, it is impossible to stay right with God while staying wrong with others.
Friend, people are going to fail us sometimes. It’s inevitable. And although it may bring frustration and disappointment, we should never allow it to separate us from God. It doesn’t mean we should ever condone or approve of wrong behavior. But we are to love and forgive others, no matter how impossible it might seem. And maybe forgiveness does take some time. It may even take years, depending on the nature of the harm committed. But if we take a moment to see others the way God sees us, we can find a way to get there.
If God forgives him, then who am I to not forgive him?
Former Blackout Artist 