Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:32
We all know that serving one another means helping someone else, right? But service actually isn’t limited to just lending someone a hand. There is also great value in serving each other through forgiveness and reconciliation!
Check out this devotional below which shows the impact forgiveness has on relationships.
Written by Reclaim Today
For the last fourteen years, I’ve been a part of a Bible study of women. We started when we were all in our early twenties—all of us a little bit lost and looking for a bit of connection as we left college and started our careers and families.
In one of our early meetings, I hurt my friend’s feelings in a big way. We’d gotten into an argument in the course of the evening’s discussion, and I was relentless in hammering my points home until my friend was curled in the fetal position on the couch. Another friend in our group took me to task! She made it clear that what I had just done was not okay, and that if I wanted our group to remain whole, I’d need to ask for forgiveness.
I did before our next meeting. My friend whose feelings I’d hurt explained exactly how I’d made her feel, and I promised to never leave her feeling so small ever again. In forgiving me, my friend showed me an incredible amount of grace and love, neither of which I deserved, and she personified Paul’s call in Ephesians to forgive “just as Christ forgave you.” Fourteen years later, I’m still grateful.
Why It Matters
The act of forgiving is a loving act that communicates to another person the kind of love that God has for each one of us. And being on the receiving end of forgiveness is a gift, just as receiving God’s love is a gift.
A simple prayer like this can be all we need to get started connecting with God in our Lent journeys. To follow more of our journey through Lent and check out our other Lent devotions click here!
Original content by Reclaim Today. Reshared with permission.
