Just as it’s important to offer kindness, it’s also important to receive it – God’s kindness is always available to us. No matter where we are on our faith journey, God is gracious and kind. All we need to do is open our hearts…
“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.” (Joel 2:13)
I’ve always felt that the hardest part about asking forgiveness isn’t the apology. The hardest part is what comes next. Will it be accepted or rejected?
Will the person hearing my apology be gracious or demand a pound of flesh first? This uncertainty is the main reason I don’t relish apologies, even more so than a sense of pride or mistaken belief that I’m always right (though I’ve had plenty of moments of that, too).
When we’ve done something wrong, it’s often easier to think it can’t be fixed, so why bother trying to make amends. It’s easier to think we’ve gone too far, broken something too much, for it to be whole again.
Relationships, marriages, our selves, and our faith. This all or nothing idea can keep us separated from the kindness and love of others for far too long.
And while people can sometimes hit a breaking point, where too much is too much, God never does. His compassion is ceaseless and His love unbreakable.
Opening our hearts to receive God’s kindness
Just like apologies aren’t easy, neither is offering forgiveness. Especially when we’ve been really disappointed or hurt by someone we love.
But unlike us, God does not struggle to forgive. He sees into our hearts and rewards our true repentance with true forgiveness.
God’s kindness is not withheld because He fears further hurt. It’s not denied because He’s holding onto a grudge. God does not keep a record of rights and wrongs.
But to receive that kindness, we need to open our hearts. Not go through the motions of repentance – the pretty prayers and appropriate sacrifices – but open our hearts and offer them to God.
We can’t skip the apology because we fear the response. And we can’t experience God’s kindness and compassion if we don’t open our hearts to it.
Do you have something weighing on you today? If you do, let’s take a moment to sit in prayer with our Heavenly Father, revealing our hearts and letting his kindness wash over us.
I can’t promise that your spouse or best friend or child will accept your apology with graciousness, or that you will be able to easily offer that same forgiveness to others, but I can promise you that God will. Give Him your heart and He will give you so much more.
Have a blessed Monday!
Looking for more encouragement and inspiration today? Try these posts:
Nothing Can Separate Us from Perfect Love
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