Grace and ForgivenessSample

Is There A Limit To Forgiveness?

Have you ever wondered where your limit is for forgiveness? ML Stedman’s book The Light Between Oceans tells of Tom Sherbourne, a returned-WWI soldier, who takes the position of lighthouse caretaker on Janus Rock, a fictional island off the Australian coast. 

Despite finding love with a local girl, Isabel, a tragic turn makes both Tom and Isabel consider what they will do to keep a secret and how their decision would lead to forgiveness. "You only have to forgive once. To resent, you have to do it all day, every day." – ML Stedman. This story would make anyone consider where their limit is for forgiveness. Jesus talks about this topic extensively with His disciples throughout the Gospels.

In Matthew 18, Jesus answers Peter’s question about the limit of forgiveness by saying that there is no limit. We are to look to the example of Jesus to see that forgiveness is a regular part of our lives. All of us need to forgive, even when it may not seem possible. 

If you reread the quote from Stedman, you can see that it has a whisper of the Bible which may lead you to ask, why should we forgive at all? As Christians, we need to reflect our Savior since we are the beneficiary of forgiveness. We have to remember that we too will continually need forgiveness in this life. 

Books and films engage with this critical aspect of the human condition, but they fall short in their answers. This is why the Bible offers the solution to these essential questions of forgiveness.

Written by RUSS MATTHEWS