Imitators of Christ

(our theme for October)

Ephesians 4:32 

"Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

This verse tells me how all communities should be with one another in a perfect society. Those three words: Kindness, tenderhearted, and forgiveness are similar but describe a deeper, graduating level of feeling and behavior. Kindness is a quality that shows consideration of others, thoughtfulness and showing goodwill towards others. Tenderhearted goes deeper. It is empathy and compassion; taking on some burdens from others and concern for their misfortune. And deepest of all is forgiveness.  It’s an intentional decision to let go of anger and resentment. Why is it so hard for us to forgive? 

Intellectually, I know that forgiving others who have wronged me is a healthy thing to do. It relieves stress and anxiety in the body from harboring resentments. Forgiveness can bring a feeling of peace and happiness. But it is still difficult to do. I’ve found it helpful to try and understand the mindframe of the person who has wronged me. Did they do this to me maliciously or was it unintentional? Either way, forgiveness is really the only way for me to find peace. Forgiving oneself may be a bit trickier. It involves taking responsibility for your own actions and apologizing to those you have hurt. A range of emotions including embarrassment, guilt and shame all come into play. But again, forgiving yourself will bring you peace.

When I think about how God forgave us through His son Jesus Christ, I can’t wrap my head around that kind of love. But it happened and we can rejoice in His Love for us. Surely I can manage to forgive a slight or wrongdoing to me that may or may not have been intentional. Our relationship may have changed, but our love for one another doesn’t have to end.

Our prayer today:

Heavenly Father, we come before you full of anger and resentment. Please help us to forgive others as You have forgiven us. Release the anger and hurt within us and fill us with peace and love. Amen

This devotional was written by Virginia Hardwick and read by Amy Large.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.