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Some say that elephants have a long memory, quoting incidents when they have taken revenge on those who hurt them years ago! On the other hand, they say pet dogs come back wagging their tails even to masters who have spanked them. Let's examine ourselves and see if we have any of this elephant nature in us.

Many Christians seem to so take forgiveness for granted that, except perhaps on Good Friday, they don't think about what it cost God. This is because the Gospel has been presented to them as a free offer from God by which they can receive everything good from God in return for their accepting Jesus as their Saviour. Some even imagine that poor Jesus is waiting outside the door, pleading with them to let Him in!

No one has pointed out to them the seriousness of every single sin they have committed, but 'evangelists' have instead hidden the hideous picture of the everlasting torment waiting for them in hell, seeking to use pleasant and acceptable language so as not to cause any distress to their hearers. As a result, any time these people hear about sins they may have committed, they come out with their ubiquitous shield, "Judge not!"

Only those who realise the agony of pain and death that Jesus had to undergo in order to purchase their forgiveness can learn to truly forgive others. They realise that they can no longer argue, "They don't deserve to be forgiven!" when they have been given forgiveness as a gift of grace, as a totally undeserved favour from God (1Pe.1:18,19). As they grow in their closeness to the Lord, they become quicker and quicker in forgiving others and overlooking a lot (Co.3:13).

If we find ourselves not growing in this direction, it is crucial for us to examine how we started with the Lord, whether there was a serious recognition of our own sins and inherent sinfulness, whether we genuinely repented and received forgiveness with gratitude. If the starting point itself was wrong, obviously we can't be now in the place where we ought to be.

It is one thing if we have experienced serious wrong from someone for which we are suffering even now. God understands our struggle, wanting to forgive but finding ourselves unable. He can teach and strengthen us when we go to Him for help. But this is very different from being unable to talk to someone for days afterwards, who "didn't greet me when he passed me on the other side of the road." Doesn't it occur to you that perhaps he was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn't even see you?

Of course, we cannot always forget incidents that have happened. The more we try to, the stronger we establish that in our memory. But to forgive someone is to let go and not to hold it against him afterwards. The thing that helps us to do that is to remember how the Lord has been towards us, quick to forgive, and even blessing us in the place of the curses we deserve. Remember how we may lose forgiveness ourselves if we don't forgive others (Mt.18:32-35).

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