STANDING IN THE PLACE OF FORGIVENESS

Speaking of forgiveness... today is a very important day in the life of a Christ follower.

It is the day that we commemorate (too sporty), observe (too government-ish), think of (not important enough), remember (simple) the death on the cross of Jesus.

For all of my several more than 50 years, I have "done the Easter thing." You know, get new outfits for me and my family, make sure that the Easter baskets and candy was purchased and ready for the Easter Bunny to deliver them secretly on Easter morning, go to some Easter Egg hunts for the kids, prepare the Easter Ham so it will be ready for dinner on Sunday afternoon. Get up early on Easter and get all five kids ready for church and the big "Eggstravaganza" and Easter production, the kids can't wait to see if the live donkey in the play will poop on stage.

After I finish screaming at one of my kids for eating all of his Easter chocolate and getting it on his outfit, make one trip back home to get the pretty Easter gloves that go with baby girl's outfit, get to church early so we can get cute Easter pictures, but not early enough to get MY parking place and curse under my breath at Sister Jones for taking the last good spot. Pose the kids for their pictures and insist that they smile... By the time I get into church, I have that smile on my face and everyone KNOWS what a wonderful family we are!

After all, it IS Easter...the day that we remember, uhhh...now WHAT is Easter all about? I guess I forgot in all of my celebration of it.

FORGIVENESS

That is what we are remembering. Oh, and what a thing to remember! To know that there was one who stood in the place where we should have stood.

Many years ago, I was having a particularly hard time with this concept of forgiveness. I knew I needed to forgive the man who wounded my children, but for the life of me, could NOT imagine how a mother could do that. Furthermore, I didn't WANT to.

So I asked the Lord. He always answers me.

"I don't want to forgive that man." "I hate him and what he did to so many children." "I don't even want to WANT to forgive him."

Then he said "Stand in the place of forgiveness like my Son did."

Huh?

When Jesus hung on the Cross, he didn't look down at all of humanity and say, "I forgive you." He said, "Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing."

Just like he was asking me to do, Jesus "stood in the place of forgiveness!" He asked the Father to forgive FOR him.

Jesus may not have FELT forgiveness for those who tortured him at the time. He was human with human emotions. It is possible that he was just human enough not to FEEL very forgiving at that moment. But he was willing to stand in the place where the Father asked him to stand. His words asked THE FATHER to forgive.

For me, this was a glimpse into the humanity of Jesus and His obedience to the Father.

So, FORGIVENESS for me is not a thing I do, but a choice I make for life, so that I and my children will live. I may SAY "I forgive you," but what I really mean is that I am standing in the place where my Father asked me to stand and asking Him to forgive for me.

It is so much simpler than I thought!