“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.”
–Lewis B. Smedes, author
I’m a Green Bay Packers fan, which means I grew up a fan of having a “chip on your shoulder.”
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was certain that he was the most talented player available to be drafted into the NFL back in 2005. In hindsight, he was right. But on draft night, he wasn’t picked first, or second, or third…he sat as 23 teams pick other players until the Packers selected him with pick 24.
So, for the first many years of his career, Rodgers always played with a “chip on his shoulder”—which is a positive way of saying he held a grudge against the twenty-three teams who didn’t pick him. He wanted to prove them wrong.
I suppose that if you’re an all-star NFL player, failing to forgive can be a successful competitive strategy. But for the rest of us, failing to forgive can damage or even ruin our lives. It causes stress and anger. It can even alter the structure of our brains.
Take a moment to think of someone who has brought great harm into your life. Are you picturing them? How can you possibly forgive them? By remembering the unlimited forgiveness Jesus pours out to you.
Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother and sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
–Matthew 18:21,22
For meditation:
What person do I have the biggest “chip on my shoulder” against? How might forgiving them help both of us?
For prayer:
Dear Lord, You have forgiven me of every single wrong I have ever committed. Every last one. Thank you for forgiving me, even when you did not have to. Help me to forgive ____, using the love you provide. In your name I pray, amen.
