Day 30- Father, Forgive Them

The soldiers that crucified Jesus did not know what they were really doing.  They thought they knew what they were doing, crucifying a condemned criminal.  They were doing their job- as gruesome as that was.  But what was actually taking place was happening on an entirely different level.  This Jesus, the condemned criminal, was God's own Son, taking upon himself the sins of the world.  Jesus, in the midst of unbelievable pain, turns to them with compassion and says, "Father, forgive them."  He knew they did not understand what they were really doing.  Despite being physically and emotionally hurt by them, Jesus forgives.

This has always been the ultimate example of forgiveness for me.  To forgive others as they are wrongly putting you to death is just about too much to imagine.  It gives perspective to my need to forgive, which pales in comparison.  There are many ways we can be hurt by others, or hurt others by what we do.  Sometimes, we don't even know we have done so.  Sometimes, people aren't even aware how they have hurt us.  That's why forgiveness is such an important value in the Christian faith.  We all make mistakes, intentionally and unintentionally.  We need to learn how to forgive, and to seek forgiveness.  Thank God that because God, through Jesus, forgives us, we can make forgiveness a part of our lives as well.