Do You Really Know How to Forgive?
I’ve written on this topic before and you can read Embrace God’s Forgiveness here, but I believe this true life experience written by one of my daughters, Alycia Neighbours (see bio below), will touch you deeply. Our girls get a love for animals from me, except theirs includes menageries of all kinds of animals, while my husband and I are a one dog at a time kind of pet owner! My grand animals have included not only MANY dogs, and a couple of cats, but also bearded dragons, guinea pigs, hamsters, goats, horses, donkeys, pigs, lizards, a snake, and all kinds of fish!
Be blessed by reading Alycia’s post and ask yourself, “Do I understand forgiveness and do I really know how to forgive?”
Most of us at one time or another have had to forgive. Sometimes we have forgiven someone because they have asked for forgiveness and, sometimes, we must forgive someone who hasn’t asked. I think we can all agree that forgiveness is hard, but I don’t think we can grasp the type of forgiveness that God has given us.
“Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as the snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” – Isaiah 1:18
For almost a decade I have had numerous dogs, two of those being, Tuesday and Friday. Both were rescue situations and we have loved them dearly, looked over their quirks and made them beloved family members. The past several years I have also had two goats (Ethel and Fred) and a sassy pig (Lulu). They too were loved dearly and beloved family members. Knowing what I know about predators and prey, they were kept separate. Many times through the years the goats and dogs would play through the fence and more times than I should probably admit, the pig came inside to just hang out with the family. With me around to monitor their interactions, we have lived peacefully all together.
For reasons I will never understand, a few weeks ago, the goats jumped the fence separating them from the dogs and one of them got trapped. Instinct kicked in, and my two dogs senselessly mauled my goat Ethel leading to her death. Because of the situation, I have since re-homed the remaining goat and the sassy pig to a friend who will love them as we did. The dogs have remained.
“Be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other just as God also forgave you.” – Ephesians 4:32
These past few weeks as my heart was breaking for my sweet goat and the unfairness of having to re-home my other two, I have also had to continue to care for the dogs. I am furious with them. What they did was horrific. The goat was totally innocent and wasn’t a threat to them at all. How could they not know she was family too? Years they have seen me love her and tend to her. How could they destroy something so gentle and kind? I know it was just their instinct, their nature, but how can I possibly forgive them for something that feels so personal?
God has been speaking to me in my heartbreak and anger. I’ve learned in situations like this, He typically has something to say to me. I believe the lesson out of this is that I really have no comprehension of God-like forgiveness. My humanity is just too small to fully grasp the enormous forgiveness that He gives us.
You see, God knowing what He knows about His children and their nature, still sent His son to us. We destroyed Him, yet He immediately forgave us. Not just a resigned forgiveness, but an active forgiveness; still pouring blessings on us as His beloved children and rightful heirs. He knew we would slaughter His innocent Son…we have years and years of guilty charges on us all the way back to the beginning of time of giving into our sinful and destructive nature, and He just keeps right on loving us and forgiving us. What we did was intentional. What we did was personal. He forgave us unconditionally anyways.
Now, being totally honest, I still have some work to do on myself, and my grasp of forgiveness. I can’t look at the dogs without hissing “goat killers” at them. I struggle to even pat their heads even though they really don’t understand what they’ve done wrong, but I’m trying. Not just with them, but with all the people in my life that I have had to forgive. I may never grasp a God-like forgiveness, but I am thankful that even amidst tragedy He takes the time to show Himself to me.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” – Ephesians 1:7
You can connect with Alycia Neighbours on FaceBook. A resident of Hendersonville, TN, she’s a wife, mom, writer and quite an amazing artist. She focuses her art pieces to be deeper than just a drawn image. She got her start through illustrating scripture and sermons to help her grasp a simple message through somewhat complex passages. In sharing this type of art with others, she found her God-given gift and passion of “sketch-notes.”
Alycia has taught several classes to others focusing on hand-lettering, simple images to convey words. and how to express what is auditory into something visual. Her sketch-notes and Bible journaling pieces have been shared nationwide and opens the door for many other opportunities, including special commissions through her ink style, watercolor, acrylics, pyrography, sculptures and crochet.
She enjoys an active lifestyle in nature which she credits to her inspiration for art. Whether riding her horse through trails, kayaking the local lakes, hiking with one of her 4 dogs, tending her mini-farm of goats and one sassy pig, she looks closer to find textures hidden in all that surrounds her. When Alycia is not busy raising her 5 still at home kids or off having an adventure with her husband, you can find her busy sketching these images out in hopes of touching more and more people to look deeper.
Banner photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash
