Falling Short of the Mark: Rivers of Faith, Part 3
Many times we think we have figured out the things that are troubling us, only
to discover how wrong we are.
Faith puts its trust, not in us, but in the One whose comprehension is far above
ours! "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths
straight." (Prov 3:5-6 NIV)
Take for example that poor paralytic. He had tried in vain to understand his
situation, but instead of worrying about the "why"s, he decided to put his trust
on the One who really could make a difference in his life: "Some men brought to
him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the
paralytic, 'Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.'" (Matt 9:2 NIV)
Interestingly, this paralytic had a bigger need than healing itself, and Jesus
saw directly through him and forgave his sins.
Notice that the paralytic didn't turn back to Jesus and cry: "No, no. You have
it wrong! I want to be healed!" He simply accepted Jesus' forgiveness. And while
caring for his primary need, Jesus also took care of
his secondary one (See
verse 6b). Truly healing and forgiveness go hand in hand.
Too often we approach God with the wrong request. Just like that young man who
once uttered that petition: "Lord, if I was rich, I could really make a
difference in this world. Imagine all the people I could help." Truly, this was
not his deepest need.
Much bigger needs, such as a hunger for God, for acceptance, for forgiveness,
lurk in the deepest recesses of our hearts. If we don't address these, we will
easily fall short of the mark and discontentment will continue to hold us in its
grasp.
I have met so many people who wish they could change their past. They realize
how they have hurt others, even their loved ones, through their actions. If only
they could take this away! They hunger for forgiveness, but they receive
indifference instead, and indifference is far worse than anger.
But if we hunger to be forgiven, others must be hungering for our forgiveness as
well! They, too, have made wrong choices, and if we could walk in their shoes
for even one minute, we wouldn't be able to keep ourselves from forgiving them.
They need love and acceptance just like we do!
"Forgive as the Lord forgave you." (Col 3:13 NIV)
We do indeed have a deep longing to be forgiven by others, as well as by God.
But let's remember that forgiveness is a matter of faith: We either accept God
at His word or we don't.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins
and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9 NIV)
Our God is faithful and just and will indeed forgive our trespasses. But we need
to believe that what He has promised us is really true.
Forgiving others is also a matter of faith, that can only be done through Jesus
Himself, who died in agony on a rugged cross, so that we could experience
forgiveness (See John 15:13)!
I was raised with a cousin who was like a sister to me. We shared every toy we
had with one another, and as we grew older, we shared all of our joys and fears.
One day, all of this changed. It was the day her father died. On that day, she
turned against both me and my mother (her aunt), kicking us completely out of
her life. And we are still trying to figure out why!
I could have become angry at her for her unjust actions. I could have even begun
to hate her the way she apparently hates me. But thanks be to God, neither hate
nor unforgiveness filled my soul. She is still my little sister after all! Instead I
started praying for her even more earnestly. Every time anyone asks me if they
can pray for me, I ask them to please pray for my cousin, Frédérique.
Since this time, this eagerness to forgive others has followed me around. We may
not always understand the actions of others, for they too, have experienced
strenuous circumstances, but at least we can decide to love and forgive them,
standing in faith at what Jesus commanded us to do: "Love each other as I have
loved you." (John 15:12 NIV)
Looking at it that way, love is really a question of faith!
Rob Chaffart