03/22/2026
As Lewis B. Smedes wrote, "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." God loves you so much; He wants to spare you the prison of unforgiveness. By choosing to forgive from your heart in the same manner you have been forgiven, you can experience the freedom, peace, and joy that comes only by letting go of the offenses of others.
Perhaps the best real-life example of this comes from Corrie ten Boom. A couple years after World War II ended, she met a man who had been a guard at the very concentration camp she was imprisoned in for hiding Jews in her home. He had since repented of what he had done and stood before her seeking forgiveness. She wrote:
I stood there with the coldness clutching my heart.... "Jesus, help me!" I prayed silently. "I can lift my hand. I can do that much. You supply the feeling." And so woodenly, mechanically, I thrust my hand into the one stretched out to me. And as I did, an incredible thing took place. The current started in my shoulder, raced down my arm, sprang into our joined hands. And then this healing warmth seemed to flood my whole being, bringing tears to my eyes. "I forgive you, brother!" I cried. "With all my heart!" For a long moment we grasped each other's hands, the former guard and the former prisoner. I had never known God's love so intensely as I did then.
So I pray you would begin dismantling the walls of unforgiveness around you, one brick at a time. Make the choice today to lean into the Lord, reach out to others, and get involved in Heaven's business of forgiveness.
Mat 6:12 and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
Mat 18:34 Then the angry king sent the man to prison to be tortured until he had paid his entire debt.
Mat 18:35 “That’s what my heavenly Father will do to you if you refuse to forgive your brothers and sisters from your heart.”
Mat 5:7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Jas 2:13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.