It has been a lifetime ago but I will never forget that Mia stole my grapes. It happened this way. When I was six and my brother was four, our mother gave us some grapes. He ate his, but I saved my till later. While I was busy with something else Mia, the little girl next door, slipped into our house and stole and ate my grapes. It crushed me. As a child I was upset.
You know what? I’m over it. You are thinking that since it was a lifetime ago I ought to be over it and you are right. One would think that all such old sins and grievances are over, but they are not. The world is filled with people who nurse old wounds. The church is filled with Christians who nurse old wounds.
How long should it take to get over old offenses? How long does it take for forgive? A day? A week? A year? A lifetime?
Jesus answered the question for us when he said, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25).
When do we forgive? Jesus said to forgive when you pray. Most people think to ask for forgiveness when they pray, but Jesus said to give forgiveness when you pay. Your willingness to forgive when you pray impacts the forgiveness you will receive when you pray. Jesus said, “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
When wronged you must not let it define you. To burden yourself with old hurts is to let old hurts define it. It is a handicap in your life. It is a limp when you walk.
When we forgive others we give others the chance to begin again and again and again. When we forgive others we give ourselves the chance to begin again and again and again and to do so without the limp. If we do not want to limp through life, we will forgive.
So, Mia stole my grapes. I’m over it. Who stole your grapes and are you over it? For your sake I hope so.
Lonnie Davis