Loved Beyond Measure

15/7/2020

A Reflection on the Psalm for July 19th, 2020:
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 86

R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.

You, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call on you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my cry of supplication.

R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.

All the nations you have made shall come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.

R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me. Give your strength to your servant.

R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.

Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

What difference does it make to be forgiven by God? I can forgive and be forgiven, or not forgiven, as the case may be. I can mostly understand the value of forgiveness in human terms, but why does it matter whether God is involved in forgiveness?

I know that if the person I’ve offended doesn’t forgive me, it can be harder to find peace. Even if they do forgive me, I can struggle with forgiving myself. The ability to forgive myself takes me somewhere good, but deep down, I know that I am not the author of my own life — I don’t have control over much, despite the illusion that I try to create. Before I knew God, I committed the same sins over and over, and it was a testament to my own lack of self-control despite what I knew was right; ultimately, the truth is that I was able to justify it to myself. Let’s be honest, even after I have come to know God, I have still fallen repeatedly; the difference now is when that happens, I become convicted that there must be something deeper at play.

Now, when I put myself first, and therefore fail to love well, I can bring it to God for examination. To examine it with Him helps me to see what I’ve been looking for through my sin… and usually it’s some kind of comfort, reassurance, control, or validation. The only place I can truly receive all of that is with Him, in the place where I am loved beyond measure, and who doesn’t want to stay there? I’m learning that this requires great trust and a knowledge of God that is deep and wide and long.

God is the Alpha and the Omega, the start line and the finish line, all in one. All things come from Him, because there is nothing before Him (and everything must come from something), and to Him all things must return. To say that God created us in His image is to say that He created us out of love — to love and to be loved. Our faith, and this psalm, invite us to respond to a God who is kind, slow to anger, merciful, gracious, strong, and great. This is exactly the kind of Father we all need, to gently take us by the hand and return us to the right direction. The hand of God first says, “I forgive you,” then: “I’ll help you.”

“I pray that you may have the power to comprehend with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

Lindsay Elford

5 Comments

Alana

15/7/2020 09:50:33 am

Amen! Thank you Lindsay. A number of years ago I was hurt by some people that I really care about. It certainly wasn’t intentional or personal and they didn’t even realize that they had hurt me. But because they didn’t realize it, they also didn’t acknowledge the pain they caused me or ask for forgiveness. What that experience revealed to me is how hard it is for me to forgive others when they don’t ask for forgiveness. Ugh. I like to think that I am a forgiving person. But forgiving under those circumstances took me much longer than I care to admit - and if I’m honest there is probably still some echoes of pain attached. But I think what is even harder to admit - is how humbled I am to reflect that this is exactly what God does for me...repeatedly...over and over...I trust in His goodness and mercy - and trust that He forgives me - based upon the inclination of my heart - whether I have full understanding of my actions or not, whether it was intentional or not, even whether I ask for it or not (assuming it’s not refusal but rather lack of understanding/awareness). Of course it’s so important to examine ourselves with Him, and the sacrament of confession is such a gift in this regard to make us new again - because for each time I recognize my own brokenness and sin, I know there are far more occasions that I don’t see - blind spots that hurt God and others that impact my relationships with them - and that’s why so I’m so grateful for the grace received in the sacrament of confession. How grateful I am that God and others are so merciful and forgive and love me - even when I do not see. Lord, reveal to me my blind spots so that I can seek forgiveness from You and others. And give me the grace to continually forgive and show Your love and mercy to myself and others. Amen.

Lindsay

15/7/2020 05:46:24 pm

So beautiful, Alana. We all need relationships that help us to see ourselves more fully..and it's so painful and so beautiful all at the same time. Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and the experience of your heart. Thanks be to God for His mercy and those who share it with us all in our imperfection.

Lori

15/7/2020 04:11:26 pm

Thank you for diving into the obscure realm of forgiveness, Lindsay! I have had a rocky relationship with it, and I love how you highlighted the particular difficulty of self-forgiveness. I know my understanding will always be limited in this respect, but God understands, and He leads me through it gently.

15/7/2020 05:50:02 pm

Yes, Lori...such a difficult thing to consider. This reflection definitely brought me to a place of knowing I need to examine this more closely. Giving thanks for His word for drawing us in to these areas where He shows us what we need to see. Lord, help my understanding.

Lorrie Yunace

17/7/2020 09:56:38 am

You gals are killing me ..ha ha . It is so easy to say we must forgive others because God forgives us. Understanding the "why" is rather easy but to actually forgive in challenging circumstances is not so easy. I have a relationship in my life where I am called to forgive constantly. It is not a one time deal. I like the one time deal circumstances much more that the ones that call me to forgive almost daily. I do not always get this right--mostly when I am relying on my own strength. But only with God's Grace can I truly forgive over and over.