My wife and I recently watched the movie The Giver based on the book by the same name. For those who haven't seen it or read the book, I don't want to spoil the story, but one aspect that is a major element is that this society is built on sameness and total compliance. Anyone who doesn't fit in the neat little box of the society or steps outside of the norm is "released" from life. It seems horrible to our sensibilities that failure to fit the mold should be a death sentence.
That's why we sometimes have such a problem with the idea of God's society built on Holiness and Perfect Righteousness. It doesn't feel right. It doesn't seem fair. Why? Because none of us can fit the mold. None of us can live up to the standard. Under the strict and narrow restrictions of righteousness we all are in line to be "released" from life and relationship with our Creator. The difference between this truth and the fiction I started with is that God loves us. He desires relationship with us more than we have ever desired it with Him. He altered creation, moved heaven and earth and sacrificed His Son to make sure we don't have to be "released" from His presence. His love, grace and mercy cover very aspect and area where we fall short.
I bring this up to remind us that if we look at all the places and ways we have fallen short of perfection there is no way that we can stand before Perfection Himself and declare that we deserve any place with Him. If we ever get a glimpse of how much He really loves us, we fall before Him with hearts broken from gratitude at the injustice of our forgiveness. We know what we deserve in a perfect society, we know we don't come close (not even the best of us), and we know that He accepts and welcomes us anyway. How amazing that glorious grace! How excellent His mercy!
Now we belong to Him. We can never be expelled or released from Him, not even the worst of us like me. Understanding this truth and the forgiveness and mercy that granted us this gift we must endeavor to remember our own pardon when faced with being wronged by others, when what is going on in our lives feels unfair and unjust. Even the best of us has been forgiven much and received pardon. Let us not be like one sentenced to death who minutes after receiving that saving call from the governor and being removed from the gallows turns to the judge and demands our right to see the one who committed an infraction against us be hanged.
We need to turn the debts against us over to God to either forgive or act justly on our behalf as He wills and the heart of those who wrong us dictates. God refused to hold His rightly felt grudge against us and demand that we be punished for the times that we've rebelled and broken His heart. We must not hold on to our "righteous" anger either.
Father, only You are perfect and have the right to demand perfection in relationship, and yet You give grace rather than cling to Your rights against me. Help me to be quick to forgive and to be even quicker to let go of the anger that comes from being unfairly treated. I know that You will be generous and forgive those who hurt me if they seek You, and I pray that they make that turn to You. Bless those who are unjust toward me today, and help me to stay focused on Your grace and all You've done for me, so that no matter what the situation I can walk in the peace that passes all understanding and comes only from being close to You, which is only possible because I have been forgiven so very much. Thank You for Your love and forgiveness for me. Amen.
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