Forgiveness First, Then Reconciliation

So if you consider me a partner, welcome him as you would welcome me. (Philem. 17)

Expanded Passage: Philemon 1-25

I was caught in what I thought would be the doldrums of boredom: an impromptu conversation with my brother and his wife, brought on because I was about to be married. However, what started as an uninvited lesson became a crucial personal principle. What was the topic? Forgiveness and reconciliation. Certainly, marriage produces both in varying degrees.

In their godly wisdom, Chris and Michele conveyed that you must work hard to see your spouse through God’s eyes, working through forgiveness and releasing your right to be angry and hurt. Reconciliation, the pinnacle of forgiveness, must release the offender from the past. You cannot move forward while holding an egregious history against the other.

Philemon provides a snapshot of this concept. Onesimus was sent back to Philemon. Both men had once had animosity toward each other. However, both were no longer the same. Each had grown in spiritual character. Clearly spiritual maturity is key in one’s ability to forgive or reconcile effectively. Cultivating love and faith leads to a softened heart which, in turn, develops the capacity for true forgiveness and reconciliation. Paul asked them to lay all that history down, releasing one another from the past to go forward in a new relationship.

We must all learn to do this. Is there someone you are struggling to forgive? Is there a relationship you are struggling to reconcile?

Pursue spiritual maturity that leads to forgiveness and reconciliation.

C. Renee Miller is the founder of CRM Spiritual Care Services and is passionate about assisting believers to unleash and electrify their relationship with Christ.