The Forgiveness Affair

Last Saturday, July 17, everyone was gathered around the parking lot of Davao Teen Center, there were at most 20 of us. Saturdays are always been the time of our spiritual formation, a day in a week where all of us share what we think about a certain human value. It became a tradition to invite our friend from a Bible college here in Davao, a foreigner and preacher named Zach. Zach will be the one who will share to us the insights about the value according to the Bible.
 
So then and there we started the session. Our Youth Coordinator started the discussion with these questions: Is it easy for you to forgive? Have you had forgiven someone? Have you been forgiven by someone? What situations or instances do you think where you cannot just forgive someone? What situations or instances do you think where you can easily forgive someone? How long does it take for you to forgive?
 
A lot of us shared our thoughts to these questions. One of us shared his situations that he once had an argument with a friend of his, his former best friend. The argument became so furious that they don't want to see each other anymore. He tried to have contact with him and eventually everything went fine. He said that committing the mistake was so simple but the act of surrendering yourself to ask for forgiveness is difficult. He can easily forgive someone if the action is minor, other than that would mean that there is no more connection. He said forgiving someone is a kind of relief to him because the burden created by such misunderstanding is too heavy that sometimes he thinks of the situation more than his studies. So it was in his perseverance that everything now went as good as how he wanted it to be.
 
Of all the questions raised, only one among those given where we have common answers. What are those instances or situations where it is hard for us to forgive? The answers were betrayal of trust, backbiting, and cheating (on relationship). Although these are not the crimes punishable by law like rape and murder, these things are so meaningful to being a human that when committed by someone, will eventually attacked your emotional being.
 
On the topic on asking forgiveness there where two points raised by our facilitator on why it is sometimes difficult to ask for forgiveness, shame and guilt. I was struck and it made me feel bitter because it is a fact. Sometimes, it becomes hard for us to ask for forgiveness because we know we did something wrong and we are ashamed of ourselves because we did such thing that could ruin a precious relationship.
 
Time passed and still there were a lot of ideas being exchanged. The time came when Zack will give us idea what the Bible says about forgiveness. He gave us copies of the testament and asked us to read the passage. The parable was about the man who owed his master and was asked to pay his debt but he couldn't and he was forgiven by his master. When he met his co-worker and ask his co-worker to pay his co-worker's debt, his co-worker couldn't pay him so he scolded him. The master saw this and called his attention and told him about what he had done to him and that he expects him to do the same to his fellow. After the reading, Zach asked a representative for a demonstration and he showed us a plastic chain. He wrapped it around the volunteer's body and locked it. He said that we are like the volunteer who lived in sins and the sins are our chain. If we continue to commit these sins, we will be living in bondage. He stressed that when Christ came to live with us, he untangled this bondage and free us on our sins and wanted us to never commit the sins again.
 
The discussion ended with a little bread shared among us and some chit-chats. It is very heartwarming for all of us to have at least an opportunity to share everything we have and what we experienced so that all of us can learn from each other and understand one another. I will be looking forward on what we will be sharing again this coming Saturday.