Father Forgive Them

I was sitting in a small Bible discussion group, when the topic of forgiveness came up.  One of the participants without any trepidation said, “I will never forgive my ….”   After breaking the biblical truths ice, many other women concurred that they had someone in their life they couldn’t forgive.

Let’s face it forgiveness is tough whether male or female.  But for women, it may be an even higher hurdle to jump because we are emotionally driven.  Scientific studies show how the corpus callosum (which connects the brain’s hemispheres) is larger in women with more cross wiring to both sides of the brain and is attributed to our ability to connect and bond.  God designed women, through our brain and hormones, to display empathy more naturally, and make deep relational connections on a broader basis than men. Thus, hurts embed deep into our minds and soul.

These differences are the beauty of God’s design, equal but different and together powerful in Christ. As the mother of four boys and now grandmother to six grandsons, I can attest to these differences when watching them play.  I’ve had to interrupt more than a few physical altercations with the boys.  Boys are more risk taking and physical in their interactions, the girls more risk adverse.  I love how one writer put it:  Women often use a “tend and befriend” approach, while men have a “fight or flight response.”  Perhaps that gives credence to the inner battle women face when offended.

I have had my share of unforgiveness in my heart.  However, a much-needed course correction comes when I set my mind on how much I have been forgiven by God.  Fixing my eyes on Christ makes it an easier route to open my heart to His example when it comes to my own personal hurts and betrayals. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

So, after sitting quietly for a while through this discussion, I decided to bring Jesus into the conversation to lend a rightly needed perspective.  I asked, “Can you imagine how Jesus felt after facing twenty-four hours of emotional hell?  Think about this:  A follower and friend betrayed him — and with a kiss.  His best friend denied him three times, his other friends deserted him. 

Jesus faced his demise alone and abandoned by men.  He was paraded through a series of illegal trials. Savage soldiers beat at him. He was almost flogged to death, placed before a blood thirsty mob and endured the most horrific of all punishments ever devised in the torture of Roman crucifixion.

People jeered as His hands and feet were spiked into the wood of the cross with metal stakes and He was hung between two criminals, while religious leaders looked on sneering. It was there where He spoke these most powerful words.

“Father forgive them.”  What!

Those words are the vey basis of our salvation.  We are the recipient of all the pain and torture He went through on our behalf.  These three words have echoed through eternity and give access to the Father to every tribe, tongue and nation.  

When we pray, “Father forgive them,” we set ourselves free from the bondage of bitterness.  We unloose the prisoner within us.  Praying this prayer is not optional for a healthy Christian—but is a mandatory part of our sanctification process. 

“Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith.  For the joy set before him He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2).

 So, if you’re reading this and you can think of someone that you can’t forgive, than you owe it to yourself to stop right now and say, “Father help me to forgive them, because you have forgiven me.”