When someone treats us badly or we are hurt in relationships, we often find ourselves struggling to forgive. When we gain new insights about a person or situation, our feelings can change. Craig shares wisdom from the Bible, a wise book he read and his own life story in this post about forgiveness, and how we too can move past pain and into redemptive relationships.

As we strive to follow Jesus, we know that we are called to love our neighbors and the many people we encounter in the world. But what does that mean practically for us? What are the real ways we can share our faith with others? In this week’s Take Five, we explore some ideas and inspiration for our journey of loving our neighbors and the world, in Jesus’ name.

God uses our willingness to forgive and works through us. Forgiveness is not an overnight miracle; more often, God heals layers of unforgiveness over the course of years if we trust Him. We’ve all been wounded by other people, but for anyone unable to let go and forgive painful hurts, God only requires of us the willingness to forgive.

You might be familiar with the story of Jonah. It is in fact one of the favorite stories taught to children in Sunday school. Jonah was running from God, swallowed by a whale and regurgitated on a beach after 3 days. He finally obeyed God and went to Nineveh to preach repentance. His story demonstrates the magnitude of God's compassion and offers a challenge to each of us.

Here are the words of Jesus, beaten and bloodied, uttered from the cross on which he died: “Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23:34). “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43) “Dear woman, here is your son.” (John 19:26) God not only preaches forgiveness, he gives it. God not only desires for all men to have eternal life, he grants it. God not only commands us to think of others first, he does it.

One of the most famous stories in the Bible is of a woman found in the act of adultery, who was brought before Jesus by the Pharisees. It is a beautiful story of forgiveness and mercy when guilty of sin. The account is in John 8:3-11.