Forgiving the Unforgivable

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"Then Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' And they divided His garments and cast lots."

-Luke 23:34

Forgiveness is hard. It can be extremely challenging to learn how to let go and be at peace with tragedies and wrongdoings in your life. Some things are harder to forgive than others. Somethings are easier to let go of.

The great burden that comes with lack of forgiveness is bitterness. A sour taste in your mouth or a burning anger in your chest that never goes away. Bitterness is poisonous. It makes your mind "stuck in a rut" trapped in a cycle of pain, grief, and anger that can be quite mentally crippling. 

If unchecked, bitterness leads to hate, and hate leads to a destruction of relationships and even crimes and physical harm. It's the old "hate leads to suffering" Star Wars quote. 

It does.

Bitterness poisons you. Hate destroys you.

Forgiveness is the only way out of the destruction and mental poisoning of bitterness and hate. Forgiveness isn't easy, but in a world blighted by a constant cycle of revenge, that never ceasing attack and retaliate and begrudging of an adversary, forgiveness is the only thing that can break the cycle of hate and revenge.

     I view that in God's infinite mind and infinite awareness, because of His perfect understanding Justice for atrocities and wrong is a guarantee. Justice is inevitable in eternity.

     Perfect, eternal justice is in the Creator's hands, and it will happen.

Our job, so we don't poison our minds and put an unnecessary burden on our thoughts, is to forgive.

Even what seems to be unforgivable.

Forgiveness is more of a process than a simple, conclusive choice.

It's a choice I try to make daily, but sometimes I fail at forgiving. Sometimes I'm successful at achieving a peace for a day, but the battle becomes new when I wake up the next day.

There are some things my mind just won't let go of. Some things I feel are unforgivable. Some things I feel there was no justice for.

I know in my heart that even those things I still have to forgive. Even the worst thing I have been through, and there are a few things contending for that title, I still have to forgive.

Forgiveness is the only cure for a bitter, troubled mind and a broken spirit.

I look at Jesus, and I know He must have been beyond heartbroken at what his persecutors and those tormenting and torturing were doing to him.

     I can't even imagine what it would have been like to be nailed to a piece of wood after being brutalized for hours and left to die one of the worst deaths a human can die, all because He told the truth. All because He defended the lowliest and weakest amongst humanity. All because He was who He was. All at the hands of the very people he was sent to help and redeem and heal.

    At least he rose, though. I would never be free of my mistakes and sins had he stayed in the tomb. He paid the worst price you can pay so that forgiveness for me was possible. That price is enough to pay for even what seems to be unforgivable. Even the worst of us has a ticket to eternity because of this, if he or she wants it.

Jesus forgave His murderers as they were murdering Him. A feat I will never be strong enough to achieve.

This shows that no atrocity is unforgivable. Every horrible thing ever done has the potential to be redeemed and healed and corrected. Everything can be forgiven.

All you have to do is want to forgive, and you'll get the strength to.

All you have to do is want forgiveness and, from God at the least, you'll get it.

God can forgive the unforgivable, heal the unhealable, redeem the irredeemable, and save the unsavable

I know this in my heart to be true