One of the foundational beliefs of Christianity is that we are all broken. Each and every one of us is fundamentally flawed. We’re all sinners. Were not sinners because we sin, we sin because were sinners. Because we’re all sinners our first and foremost need is not to stop sinning but to be forgiven. If I were to stopping sinning completely today I would still need to be forgiven for all the sin in my past. I would go so far as to say one of the most important keys in dealing with my sin today is experiencing forgiveness of my past sins.

The poet philosopher Don Henely got it right when he said, “I think it’s about forgiveness”. All of life is about forgiveness. It’s the act of forgiving that allows marriages to survive, relationships to remain intact and people to live in harmony. Without forgiving one another how long would any of us put up with any one else? The person who can’t forgive is destined for misery. Is there any wonder why Jesus tells us we will be forgiven in the same manner we forgive?

With this as a background I have to ask why is it that the church is the last place forgiveness seems to be evidenced? Why are church folks so hard on each other? If were all broken and in need of being forgiven why are we so slow to forgive others? My experience tells me the quicker I am to forgive the better life is. The more I withhold forgiveness the more miserable I am.

The church should be awash in forgiving. If the world looked into the church and saw people who were quick to forgive, quick to accept their fallen brother and dead set on reconciling people to God and to each other we would have to form a line to get into this place. So why aren’t we practicing forgiveness’ more and withholding it less?