God of Forever

There are persons in this world - not many of them, but a few - that I have told I will never forgive. The hurt they have inflicted on me and on those that I love is so great that I would be foolish to ever forgive them. And of course, when I say that, I am using the term "forgive" to also include some form of reconciliation, as most of the world understands the term. Honestly, I don't believe that you can truly forgive anyone without some measure of reconciliation because without the reconciliation, you're still holding them at a distance, and that distance is caused by something...

Anyway, we're human. This is what we do. 

That is not to say that I don't believe that God can work in anyone's heart. I believe He can change even the hardest heart if given the opportunity, and I don't put any qualification on that. Because I know that at one time in my life, I would have been considered the one "extremely unlikely" to give Him the opportunity and, well, here I am. God can change anyone at any time. Or, as my new church says, God changes everything for everybody. 

Including those persons I am not willing to forgive. 

(Okay, full disclosure - if someone shows a legitimate change in heart and character that is clearly brought about by the Lord, then I would have to consider forgiving them. To not do so would not be a reflection of who God has made me.) 

At the same time, some folks have told me I am too forgiving. This is because I understand the human condition. I understand trauma. I understand being overwhelmed by things that feel bigger than we are, being trapped by the limitations of our own understanding, not knowing what we don't know even when we think we know it all. I understand the human condition, and once I understand part of your story that you might not even understand yet, it fills me with compassion, and I can't help but have a bit of a soft spot for you. 

And I guess I get that from my Father. 

Lamentations says that God does not reject His people forever. (3:31) There are a few places in the Old Testament where He talks like maybe He will, like maybe He's just done with us, like He doesn't want anything else to do with this ragtag bunch of sinners. There are times when, if you didn't know how the story ends, you might think He's not coming back. 

Then, He does. 

Because He, too, understands the human condition. He knows more about us than we even know about ourselves. He knows He has the power to change any heart, any character, any life that He chooses, as long as He's invited into it, and that's why He just can't reject us forever. 

Rather, He's always holding out hope that our better days are coming. Because He knows they can. 

There are persons in this world who have hurt me deeply, and I've sworn I will never forgive them. But I have to confess - I'm thankful that my God is better at this than I am. 

For I am one who would have been - who should have been - rejected forever, and yet, the God of Eternity won't do that even to me. 

Praise the Lord.