I Found God In "The City..."

Don't think less of me, but I went to see Sex In The City with some girlfriends last night. It must be a testament to God's power because in the midst of a movie filled with broken commandments (coveting, adultry, lying, lust, etc.), He was able to carve out a small niche with a message about forgiveness.

Without giving anything away, I'll tell you that in the movie, Miranda is angry at her husband, Steve, and has not spoken to him in about 6 months for a betrayal. For a separate reason, Carrie becomes angry at Miranda, and after 3 days, Miranda is begging Carrie to forgive her for what she has done to hurt her best friend...

Carrie asks "WHY? WHY should I forgive you after only 3 days when you haven't forgiven your own husband after 6 months?"

Miranda tries to counter with "It's not the same thing..."

...To which Carries replies "Forgiveness is forgiveness!"

Forgiveness. Is. Forgiveness.

That can be so hard for us, can't it? We put "weight" on sin all the time... a little white lie isn't as bad as a bold-faced lie... Lusting after another in your heart and mind isn't as bad as cheating with your body... Dishonoring your parent because he/she really deserves it is oooooo-kay....

But in the eyes of God, sin is sin... and forgiveness is forgiveness.

There is a story about forgiveness in Matthew, Chapter 18. Peter asks Jesus, "How many times do I forgive a brother or sister who hurts me? Seven?" Jesus replies, "Seven! Hardly. Try seventy times seven."

Our pastor once said that Jesus isn't telling us to only forgive 490 times and then on the 491th transgression, give up. He's really telling us that we must forgive our neighbor again and again... as much as it takes for the forgiveness to be authentic. Sometimes, that even means forgiving someone all over again, each day, until you feel it in your heart.

*Sigh*... that's so hard!!! :(

But before I start whining about how "that is too hard to do..." or "that person doesn't DESERVE my forgiveness...," perhaps I should think about how hard it was for Jesus to endure the suffering he did even before he was nailed to a wooden cross... the pain he endured, the humiliation he suffered... all so that you...

and you...

and you...

and me...

could have everlasting life in Heaven. Did I deserve that gift? Do I behave in a way every day that shows I DESERVE that sacrifice? I just told you that I spend nearly 3-hours watching a movie glorifying gratutitous sex, didn't I?! No excuses here - I wanted to see the movie. I'm a super-flawed individual who's trying each day to be a better person tomorrow that I was today (which means based on yesterday's activities, I have no where to go but up, right?!).

Lucky for us - God's forgiveness doesn't come wtih contingencies or restrictions... all we have to do is ask Him. And if we are behaving in a Godly manner, all another person should have to do to receive our forgiveness... is ask.

It's not easy... but worth it. Do you have someone in your life who needs your forgiveness?

Have a blessed day,
:) Mags