The Lesson of Reconciliation: Forgiving and Asking Forgiveness

Last year, I had a bout with one of my friends causing me to distance myself from them because I thought that it would be the best way to deal with the problem.

But all it brought me was misery and I felt great distress within me brought about by guilt and loneliness.

Now, of course, all that friction is gone but I still had to go through the consequences of my actions as a way for me to learn my lesson.

Before, whenever I encountered these problems, my immediate reaction was to ignore it for a while hoping that it would just vanish one day and that both parties have forgotten what happened and act as if nothing had happened.

But I learned that this is the wrong attitude in dealing with situations where we intentionally or accidentally hurt the people we love and care about.

I tried to find peace in my solitude and I had hoped that God would bring peace into my heart as He did countless times before as I spend time in prayer and in meditation of the Word but I had a constant inner struggle that kept me from finding peace.

I knew what I had to do but I did not have the heart to do it so I waited and hoped that time would heal all wounds but I also learned that nothing would happen if we idly wait for time to pass us by and do nothing about our present situation.

So I decided to talk to my friend the next time we meet in person and reconcile. The moment that I admitted that I was wrong and asked for forgiveness was the moment when I was released from guilt and frustration. I was free.

That day, I learned one very important lesson regarding relationships and spirituality: whenever we sin against someone or whenever we hurt someone, we have to immediately resolve the broken relationship, may it be among the family or among friends, so that there will be no guilt that we will bore itself into our hearts.

The Bible tells us that we must be quick to reconcile or to seek reconciliation whenever our relationships have been torn.

Forgiveness and asking for forgiveness are vital components for our spiritual walk with Jesus Christ because they are expressions of humility and an admission that we did something wrong and that we will then be turning away from our sins which is repentance.

We have no right to withhold forgiveness from anyone who seeks it because this is an act of pride when we harden our hearts toward the people who have wronged us because even God, who is just and righteous, forgives us from every sin that we have committed when we confess to Him and ask for forgiveness.

Jesus had commanded us to forgive seventy times seven which is basically crossing off everything that we hold against someone and letting go of the hurt and the pain they caused us and loving them despite what they did because God loves us despite our sins.

One of my friends described the bout through this quote, "Growing separately but not growing apart." But as I have realized it is best to grow together.

So I urge each one of us to humble ourselves and forgive those who have wronged us or hurt us and also to ask for forgiveness when we have wronged others and turn from our sins. I believe that if our country asks for forgiveness from God and turns away from sin, then God will heal and bless our land.