Slightly Forgiven

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

 Matthew 6:14  

“She didn’t even acknowledge me today at church.”  “They went to lunch and didn’t invite me.”  “ I can’t believe her daughter went on that trip and didn’t tell my daughter she was going.”  “She was in town for a wedding and didn’t even call me!”  “I’m not speaking to her again until she apologizes!” 

Apologizes for what?  Often these things that leave us feeling slighted are nothing more than a preoccupation with another issue in the mind of the offender.  Maybe she failed to acknowledge someone on Sunday morning because she is preoccupied with her own troubles.  If her daughter was invited to go away by someone else it may have been rude for her to include my daughter. Perhaps they didn’t visit because they already had seven other people to see while they’re in town for that wedding. 

We often assume that we know a person’s motives for an action when perhaps we have no idea why they have done something – or failed to do something.  We take something personally that was not even a thought for the alleged offender.  Is it something that even merits all this energy to be upset about?  Usually not. 

Mark 11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

 

The biblical principle in this verse is to let these little slights go – while we’re still praying we’re to forgive the one we have something against.  It doesn’t tell us to confront the person or to rebuke them in any way.  We’re just to let it go so that God will forgive us for these same slights that we do to others. 

Perhaps you’re thinking, “but I don’t slight others.”  The truth of a slight is that the other person is rarely aware that they have slighted you or me.  They’re thinking of other matters or focused on someone else.  In our pride we think we’re at the center of many other people’s lives. The truth is that we’re no more a part of their constant thoughts than they are in ours. 

In the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:12 Jesus teaches us to pray that God would forgive us as we forgive others.  Today I will also be praying that I will forgive others as I wish to be forgiven by them. 

Who arewe annoyed with that has no clue they’ve hurt our feelings?  Will we stop, pray and forgive so God will forgive us?