Grace Downtown’s pastoral intern Andrew Russell shares some of what God has been teaching him through his family.
My wife and son have shown me what it means to be forgiven by God.
First of all, my wife is an amazing woman. Sometimes I don’t treat her like the queen that she is. I say things that sometimes hurt her. And do things that sometimes break her heart. When I’m wrong, she’s quick to forgive me. She sees me with all my flaws and all my failures and she still wants to be married to me! Now if that is not a godly woman, then I don’t know what is! My wife’s forgiveness makes me want to be a more faithful and loving husband.
Secondly, my two-year-old son has shown me what true forgiveness looks like. A few days ago I had to discipline him for something. I explained to him that I am disciplining him because I love him and don’t want to see him get hurt. After I disciplined him, he started crying and ran to my wife. We had to go somewhere, and so my wife started to help him put on his shoes. He declined my wife’s offer and said to her, “No, I want Daddy do it!” He ran to me and gave me his shoes so that I can put them back on. I almost started crying. I thought my son was about to hold a grudge against me, but he didn’t.
God sees us with all of our flaws and failures, but he doesn’t hold grudges or seek to lash out at us when we hurt him. He constantly reminds us that Jesus Christ bore our punishment for the wrongs we have done so that we can have a restored relationship with him. God not only forgives us when we confess our wrongs, but he also restores us because he is in the business of making people new, complete and whole. There is no greater power than new creation power, and if you are in Christ you are a new creation; old things have passed away. Behold—everything is new! (2 Cor. 5.17)