Forgiveness

I heard of a little girl who had been put to bed for her afternoon nap. Her mother was in the kitchen, cleaning up the lunch dishes. But noises from the bedroom indicated that the child was jumping up and down on the mattress, not sleeping.

“Settle down,” the mother told her daughter as she peeked into the room through a slightly opened door. “You need your sleep. And besides, before you know it you’ll break the lamp on the bedside table.” It was a beautiful lamp, a prized possession in the family.

Minutes later the jumping resumed. Then came the predictable crash. “I’m really sorry,” the little girl sobbed after her spanking as her mother cleaned up the broken glass.

When the mess had been taken out and dumped in the trash, the mother came back to the room, hugged her girl, and said, “I forgive you. And as far as the lamp is concerned, I will never mention it to you again.”

The very next day, as the mother was walking through the house, she inadvertently stepped on and crushed the daughter’s favorite doll. The little girl ran over and picked up the broken form, held it close, and said, “Mommy, I forgive you, and I will never mention it to you again.”

Forgiveness is contagious. God not only cleanses you—He promises not to bring your sins up again . . . ever. When this assurance of sins forgiven becomes yours, you can forgive yourself, and others too and never mention it again. (Adrian Rogers, The Power of His Presence, 112-113)

[1]Adrian Rogers, The Power of His Presence 112-113.