WHY?

Forgiveness.... reconciliation.... grace....

are these just words Christians throw out to people because they are the 'right' thing to say.

do people truly believe them when they say they are needed for everyone?

or are there limits as to who those should be given to?

i understand the "we're only human and we screw up" line.  But if we're seriously striving to follow Jesus Christ's example don't we need to truly strive to bless others and ourselves with forgiveness, reconciliation and grace - in as much as we're able to humanly do - and to trust that the Lord will give us the strength to mean it and to do the rest of the work in our own hearts and the hearts of others??

yes we're human....

yes we screw up...

so why, when a person screws up and is completely, genuinely, humbly apologetic for the mess up, WHY do we make them feel even more like shit?

Why do we hold it against them and make them fight their way back to acceptance? 

Why do we make them feel as though they are the only ones who have ever messed up? 

Why do we make them feel ALONE?

if they are genuinely asking for forgiveness (I'm not getting into a situation where someone isn't remorseful) why can't we try to give them that? 

why must we make ourselves feel 'high-and-mighty'?

why do we avoid them in the streets or halls and not even acknowledge their existence?

why do we turn our eyes away with hopes that they didn't see us glance at them?

what happened to forgiveness?

what happened to reconciliation?

what happened to grace?

or are those things only something God can bestow on someone?

when someone asks for forgiveness.. when someone apologizes.. when someone acknowledges having messed up...

how is it 'helping them heal' by turning away from them.

if you're hurt by them, then understandably, there's healing on your side too; but for both your sakes - and both your healing... if paths are crossed make eye contact and acknowledge.  

(conversation isn't needed, hugs aren't needed, even a big welcoming smile isn't needed... but making the other feel like a leper isn't going to help anyone.)

I don't recall in the Scriptures where Christ walked by and avoided a person because they had messed up their life more than He could handle,(and I happen to believe He would have been hurt by a lot of these people.) 

forgiveness isn't an option.

reconciliation isn't an option. 

grace isn't an option.

not if you're truly striving to be like Christ.

in as much as we can humanly do those three things.  Christ needs to take care of the rest. 

Someone who is genuinely remorseful, can be forgiven by Christ and the wrongs 'forgotten'. 

why then, do we as humans feel the need to make sure to remind others of their screw ups - small or large. 

God can raise people from the dead.

God could forgive Paul - a killer of Christians.

God heals the lame, makes the blind see...

God can give the strength to forgive, to heal...

He created the earth, the seas, the living creatures, etc in SIX days, I think He can help us forgive, reconcile and give someone grace. 

i am working on these things daily, and I understand they're not easy, if I try to do them by myself.. sometimes I don't want to do them, but i have learned over the last year just how important and healing these can be when i get out of my self-focused little bubble and realize how needed they are for my own healing and for other's healing. 

no one should feel shunned by people who call themselves Christ followers, if they have seen their wrongs and now attempt to right their wrongs and mistakes. 

followers of Christ?

what does that really mean to you?