Forgiveness

Joey warmed my heart tonight. 

 

At CC earlier today he got hit with a soccer ball pretty hard, just an accident.  The other boy apologized right away and came over to check on Joey.  Our family has a habit of saying "I forgive you" when someone apologizes, but Joey wasn't ready to offer forgiveness in the moment. 

 

As I was tucking him in tonight, the guilt was too much for his little heart.  He told me he had something to tell that would make me mad.  After reassuring him I would not get mad, he finally said, "I never forgave Ian today." 

 

I forgot about the whole thing, but he didn't.  He knew the right thing to do, the Ephesians 4:32 thing.  He calls it his life verse.  Be kind to one another. 

 

He didn't want to go to sleep without dealing with this.  I offered to email Ian's mom and went to the computer to start typing.  Joey got up out of bed and said he needed Ian to know right away.  I called up his Mom and got the message relayed.  Joey was relieved.  Ian's mom was touched.  I was proud.

 

He's just 5 years old, but he understands something that most adults run away from. 

 

A few years ago I read this definition of forgiveness which is a total perspective changer.  When I forgive someone, I give up the right to take revenge against that person.  And I forgive because Christ forgave me.  He didn't take revenge when he bore my sin on the cross.  He took it and gave me new life.

Joey doesn't know this, but his self-assigned life verse has more to it than just to be kind to one another.  The rest of it says... "forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

 

Faith like a child... gets me every time.