Hmmm...well, without having read anyone else's thoughts on this one, here I go. What a great topic!? What a great big ole' can of worms we've opened here!? Let's see if I can keep it short 'cause really I'm supposed to be on the road...here goes nothing.
Living forgiven. Because I am forgiven. Reflecting the forgiver. Extending forgiveness to those God has forgiven and longs to forgive. Experiencing freedom.
I could probably stop there and have summed up what I need to say. It's in the details that I think we get bogged down though. What does it mean to live forgiven? I think that it's in the freedom found there that we are able to live lives that are full and abundant as Christ promised. I think it's there that we realize who it is that we are created to be and find a richness to our own selves that we never would have imagined. It's like looking into a mirror that is finally clean and pure and seeing the reflection that we were intended to see all along. We shall see ourselves as Christ sees us. The things is, as I'm learning, that our living forgiven is not just an inward thing. There's outward ramifications to this whole thing. That's where extending grace and forgiveness come in. How can I not forget those who sin against me if I am fully realizing the full extent of what has been offered me by my Great forgiver? How can I not become more like Him in that area too? An how do I not share what He's done with those around me? How can I not live a life of hospitality and authenticity with that kind of freedom? How can I not?
I love reading the book of Romans on this one as Paul talks about the free gift given, about the grace extended and about the new life of freedom gained. It's because of forgiveness, because of this freedom, that I can be united with Christ. In Romans 6:5-6, Paul says, "For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, tht our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin."
It is by His death and resurrection that forgiveness finds its place in our lives. Let's be honest, the cross was not an easy place for Christ to head to but he surrendered and gave us something so beyond imagination. I think of all the petty things I have trouble forgiving people for, and want to hold on to and realize that somehow, in my reflection of Christ, I need to surrender that to Him too...no matter how hard it seems. I guess what I'm realizing that forgiveness is about transformation - mine and the world's- because God wants to restore us all. I'm realizing the forgiveness, while free, has significant implications for how I live my life.
If I really live with thoughts of the cross in my mind would I live my life the same way? I think not. Time to be a little more deliberate and live like the forgiven child of the King that I am!
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