Eternal Forgiveness and Water Leaks
Our new friend Clay Finnesand is speaking so much truth on forgiveness today! We are excited for you to read his story because it is so real and raw, and we hope you feel challenged and encouraged by what Clay has to say! Read below, comment, and join the conversation! XO, the Boldly Seeking Team
I get it. Forgiveness is not an exciting topic.
In fact, it’s so unexciting (or terrifying) that I’m honestly a little surprised if you made it this far ;)
But I’m so glad you’re here.
I guess let’s just get right into it! *wipes sweat off forehead*
There’s a high chance you’ve been deeply wounded by someone in ways that have changed the way you see yourself and the world for the worse. (If not, stay with me!) Maybe it was a family member, pastor, former friend, employer, or significant other. Maybe it was you. Even God.
For that experience, I can only offer my deepest empathy and love. I you’re willing to hear it from a stranger, I’m really really sorry you went through that.
That hurt is real. It has dignity. It is valid.
Now, though I do not know your life, I’m willing to risk prematurely giving away my point by saying what I’ve found to be a lovely truth in Scripture and my own life: Hurt may never be undone, but it can and will be redeemed. I’ll say it again. It can and will be redeemed.
And yet, it’s worth the work.
Here’s a bit of my story: For most of my life, I’ve believed in a big God with big plans and big grace… until I needed some of that grace. I’m not sure why, but it’s like I believed God had a bank account of mercy that just so happened to run out conveniently when my soul felt bankrupt. It was a limited supply. Something I had to beg for. My understanding of repentance was: when you do something wrong, plead and cry for God to forgive you and if you’re lucky he will. Or even, he definitely will, but not without enjoying seeing you beg.
But this completely misses everything the cross of Christ, and the empty grave, proclaim: Jesus has ONCE AND FOR ALL paid for the price of our sin and brokenness (Hebrew 10:10). He doesn’t just offer forgiveness for an occasion; he offers it for eternity. Repentance isn’t something we do to earn forgiveness; it’s something we do because we’ve been forgiven. BIG DIFFERENCE. That’s why the apostle Paul writes in Romans 12. “In view of God’s mercy, offer your bodies as living sacrifice.” Notice he doesn’t say, “To earn God’s mercy.” No. It has been given by the authority of Jesus’ final work.
I hope you take a moment to let Jesus love the fear out of you. That you take a moment to think of whatever it is you feel disqualifies you from perfect love and surrender it to the full mercy of God. He really is a safe place. You don’t have to beg for what you already have. But, you can let what you already have inform the way you see God, yourself, and others. My friend, if you are in Christ, you have been totally forgiven already. The old is gone, the new has come. Don’t let mistakes of your past, present, or future displace the awareness of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. He did not halfway purchase your freedom!
Remember how I said I thought God’s grace could run out when I was younger? Here’s what changed it for me. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, he made note that he only said what he heard the Father say and did what he saw the Father do. His whole life was surrendered in purpose to his Father’s will. THEN, as he hung on the cross, blameless, with all the right to be condemning this broken world and his accusers, Jesus said, “Forgive them!”. What? The attitude of the savior when being unjustly murdered was gracious! Not to mention, he didn’t just have good intentions, but also the power to accomplish this forgiveness when he said “It is finished.”
He said this for you too. And he said it for the people who hurt us. The people who need us to offer forgiveness to them.
Story time.
My friend’s basement recently flooded. I mean, the ceilings were a wreck. The floors were ruined, No one could find where the water was coming from. Obviously, to fix the problem they had to break some stuff apart to locate the lead in the house. A repairs worker suspected the old fridge upstairs could be the problem. Upon pulling out the unit, they discovered a mini flood going all through the water piping that was eventually working its way through layers of wood and cement to the basement. Still, no one could find the leak! That is, until my friend’s daughter got down on the ground and inspected the hose that supplies water to the fridge. Somewhere along its path, there was a tiny, almost undetectable pin prick. So small that you couldn’t actually even see the water coming out. You could only hear a little hiss. And yet, this tiny breach in the pipes integrity, over several months, flooded a whole basement.
Almost immediately when I heard this, God spoke into my heart and I became overwhelmed. “That is your bitterness and unwillingness to forgive.” What seems small, inconsequential, or maybe in your case, too difficult to uncover and really do the work to fix, will eventually ruin you. No one thinks of bitterness as a virtue. No one wants to stay hurt forever. No one wants to never be able to accept the forgiveness of Christ or pass it on to those in our lives. And yet, we carry on with a leak in our souls. When we let go of our feelings of powerlessness and agree with Christ’s words on the cross “forgive them”, we seal what is breached.
In my life, and potentially yours, the time as come to get on the ground and listen. Find what isn’t even seen with the naked eye. Allow the Holy Spirit to wash new grace on us as we receive his power to live in our forgiven state and bless the world with our unoffended hearts. Our time here is a vapor. It’s too precious to wast on flood repair when we could fix the problem at the source.
The more I abide in the eternal forgiveness of Christ, the more I’m able to offer my whole self surrendered in love for the world. And that’s what we all really want, right? It’s not easy. It’s not quick. It sure doesn’t always feel good. But if that’s what it takes to look a little more like Jesus, sign me up. I think it’s worth it. I think the joy is greater. I think the forgiveness given to me is too wonderful to suppress. I think all things can and will be redeemed.
This is already a long blog and we all have much to do in life, but I’d like to leave you with a few questions to pray through so you have something practical if you want to make a change.
Do I believe God is genuinely filled with grace for me? When I think of God’s attitude towards me, what word comes to mind? Why? Is it true?
Is there anyone in my life I’ve struggled to forgive? Is it possible to forgive them right now? If not,what does it look like for me to begin the process of offering the same forgiveness I’ve been given?
I’m truly grateful for you. I agree with God when he created you and said “It is good.” Let’s keep boldly seeking together. - Clay
