forgiving

I think I’m a pretty forgiving person. I have good relationships with a number of former enemies. I’ve forgotten about debts and overlooked slights and disrespect. I haven’t always done it easily, but I’ve been able to talk myself into it.

So I normally feel pretty good when I read Matthew 6:14-15: “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

But today, when I read these verses, a voice asks, “Yes, but are you willing to forgive the people who voted the wrong way? Will you forgive the ones who support different laws than you want, or have different political viewpoints?”

But the voice doesn’t stop there. “Will you forgive the people you think aren’t contributing to society, but are taking instead? Will you acknowledge that maybe there’s nothing to forgive, that they’ve done nothing wrong, and you should be asking for their forgiveness instead?”

“Will you forgive the people who dared to laugh at your ideas and arguments? The ones who made your faith look like superstitious nonsense?”

It turns out there are a lot of people I haven’t forgiven yet. But Matthew points out that if I want forgiveness, I have to be willing to give it. I have to be willing to forgive. Am I?