Forgiving by feeling forgiven

One of the things I'm learning is that people who have a difficult time forgiving often have a hard time feeling forgiven, especially by God.

I mean after all, "why should I forgive you, when others or even God doesn't forgive me?"

I think we all realize that God's forgiveness is far reaching. He desires to forgive us. He backed that desire up with his action of sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.

Yet many struggle with guilt after God has forgiven them.

David prayed in Psalms 32:5, "....I will confess my transgression to the Lord - and you forgave the guilt of my sin."

Are you struggling with forgiving someone? Check out your own ability to receive God's forgiveness.

So many struggle with this.

Garrison Keillor shares this story:

"Larry the Sad Boy ... was saved 12 times in the Lutheran church, an all-time record. Between 1953 and 1961 he threw himself weeping and contrite on God's throne of grace on 12 separate occasions--and this in a Lutheran church that wasn't evangelical, had no altar call, no organist playing "Just as I Am Without One Plea" while a choir hummed and a guy with shiny hair took hold of your heartstrings and played you like a cheap guitar. This is the Lutheran church, not a bunch of hillbillies. These are Scandinavians, and they repent in the same way that they sin: discreetly, tastefully, at the proper time. ...

Twelve times! Even we fundamentalists got tired of him. ... God did not mean for us to feel guilt all our lives. There comes a point when you should dry your tears and join the building committee and start grappling with the problems of the church furnace and ... make church coffee and be of use, but Larry kept on repenting and repenting."

At some point and time we must accept God's forgiveness, stand up from the altar and move on.

And when we do, it will release us, truly release us to forgive others.