Genesis 50:21 Joseph said to them “don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them”.
As long we are alive and breathing, there will be betrayal, backbiting and bickering. Forgiveness is a healthy habit that must be fostered and nurtured. No matter how brutal the betrayal was, we have no solid grounds to wiggle out of forgiving others. Bitterness and godliness don’t grow together. Bitterness will poison our soul and pollute our whole being. We don’t need a good reason to forgive. Forgiveness must be almost instantaneous however, we are not expected to trust the betrayers. Forgiveness does not mean we must go on a holiday and hiking with the same people who hurt us, it only means we don’t hoard hatred against the evil doers.
Joseph, the son of Jacob, is the closest Bible hero who exhibited the same forgiveness that Jesus extended to the cruel crucifiers from the cross. Let’s play back the scene when the brothers sold their baby brother to strangers. Joseph was begging, crying and pleading for mercy. The brothers themselves confessed, We saw his anguish when he pleaded with us, but we would not listen (Genesis 42:21). When Joseph forgave the monstrosity of his siblings, God elevated him as the chief magistrate of Egypt. A decade later, Joseph settled his brothers and their families in the fertile delta of Goshen during the great famine. However, he did not make the eleven brothers his ‘administrative assistants’ in the palace. He provided for them and their livestock. They were treated like special guests in Egypt but they did not become co-rulers with Joseph. Forgiveness means we don’t repay meanness with nastiness but it also means that we don’t allow the defectors into our inner circle to hurt us again. Trust must be rebuilt over a long period of time.
Let the tree of forgiveness grow and shadow the scorching sun of anger, animosity and acrimony.
The fourth good habit to foster is “forgiveness”:
1. Ungrateful: Forgive those who have misused, abused and backstabbed you. Forgiveness is possible in the dump of betrayal only if we believe that “God will make all things work together for good”. When we look at the pain as God’s pruning process, it will be easy to forgive and let go. Forgive the ungrateful.
2. Unworthy: Forgiveness gives us freedom. We don’t forgive because the offenders have begged for pardon or they are worthy of our forgiveness. We forgive to set ourselves free from the chains of hatred and hostility. Forgive the unworthy, unrepentant and the unapologetic.
- Unassuming: The unpretentious forgiveness of Joseph blessed his bloodline with best, the finest and choicest territory in the Promised Land. The best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield; with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills (Deuteronomy 33:14-15). Forgive unpretentiously.
Forgiveness is not a choice, it is a device.
Genesis 50:20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, You are our role model to forgive and love unconditionally. Give me the Grace to forgive. Amen.
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