Eph.4.32 – And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. [kjv]
Col.3.13 – Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. [kjv]
A person who truly understands the depth of their own forgiveness finds the capacity to extend that same forgiveness to others.
The struggle to forgive often stems from a sense of debt. We feel the person who wronged us owes us something—an apology, restitution, or even pain—to settle the score. Holding onto this debt feels like holding the only valid claim for the hurt we’ve endured.
To cancel a debt that has not been paid can feel like a loss. And in a way, it is. You are relinquishing the claim you have on the other person.
Some of us wait for an apology as the required payment before we release the debtor. Others secretly anticipate seeing the person experience similar pain, believing that this “settling of scores” will finally bring closure.
But true freedom often requires us to declare the debt a bad debt. You cancel it. You write it off and choose to be at peace with the loss, realizing you have not truly lost. Instead, you have won. You have taken back your power to live free, unshackled from the past.
You have won because you have released the account to the only One who sees all things perfectly and is able to bring true justice and restoration.
Brenda Shoko
