This is a strange statement but something that I believe the Lord has thrust some new light on for me tonight. I was wondering what it is or looks like when we allow our heart to cry? I believe Jesus gave me a picture, of like a big kitchen colander with big holes and there was clear water or I suppose tears running through it very quickly and unhindered. I realised as I was watching this that this was also a picture of forgiveness, that when we forgive we release and it drains away and is gone, no longer remembered, not left attached to our hearts. Well at least that is how Jesus forgives and maybe how you forgive but I realised that that wasn’t how I was forgiving. My version was much more complicated it involved tests and checks and people had to do and keep doing things the way that I thought they should act if they had truly changed, and therefore deserved or earned my forgiveness. It was very convoluted and let’s face it controlling. I believe that my forgiveness had nothing to do with forgiveness at all, it was more like monitoring sin, ‘lots more needed to be said’ and I had to prove with ongoing actions my sorrow and repentance.
Forgiveness is like the water going through the colander of the heart, when you forgive the water drains through the heart and the heart is left beautifully clean, the tears wash it.
We have recently re watched Narnia, The Lion the witch and the wardrobe, and there is a line where after Edmond the betrayer has been recaptured from the white witch, he is shown talking with Aslan. As the others Peter, Susan and Lucy approach Aslan says to them, “There is no need to talk of the past. What is done is done.” I have been just so captured by this. There is no need to speak of the past, we don’t need to mention it again and again, we don’t need to be reminded in order to keep us from making the same mistake, we don’t need to spend six months processing or police-ing this, no punishment! Edmond didn’t have to explain himself to them and hope they would choose to forgive, Edmond was forgiven and nothing more needed to be said “What is done is done.” Edmond is forgiven and we can move on.
In the picture that Jesus gave me the colander was white and clean and after the heart had cried the colander was perfectly clean, nothing left clinging to the heart.
Wow that is what forgiveness is, I had no idea, this sounds like a much more excellent method. My heart is clean cause I have allowed it a good cry and you are off the hook as you are forgiven. Wow that sounds like a heaven alternative to me. Much better than my old version.
Nothing more needs to be said.