Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us…The truth is we are all broken, and whether we do so intentionally or not, we will hurt one another. This requires that we are ready to forgive others when they sin against us. We are actually praying that, in the same manner that we forgive others, we hope God will forgive us…so if we refuse to forgive someone else, we are praying for God NOT to forgive us either! See that?
So praying this phrase should do two things for us: 1- increase our compassion towards others because we understand that no one is perfect, and 2- it should set us free! When we hold a grudge against someone else, we are only hurting ourselves. Often, that other person either doesn’t realize they’ve offended us, or quite honestly, they just don’t care. When we hold on to those hurts, we stunt our own growth in Christ, and we continue to allow that offense to grow and damage us further.
Forgiveness offers us freedom. Whether we ask God to forgive our sins, or pray for His help in forgiving others, we are growing to be more like God. We will have compassion on others and be more free to experience this life with peace, joy and righteousness in the Holy Spirit. That’s God’s Kingdom and the more we forgive, the more we can have enjoy and share that Abundant Life.
<>< Peace, Diane
