Suppose you trudge through life with this unforgivable grudge against a fellow Believer. You swear you will never forgive him. He passes from this life to the next, and you mumble, “Good riddance!”
Since he’s a Believer, he most assuredly now resides in Heaven. Not long after, you pass away. You’re bound for eternal life with the gracious God of the universe.
You arrive at the pearly gates, and an angel stops you. In wonderment, you run through the pre-requisites for entry: First, you whole-heartedly accepted Christ as your Savior. Secondly, although you didn’t live a sinless life, you strived to live as righteously as possible. Thirdly, you produce good fruit by participating in various ministries. So why is this angel stopping you?
He provides the reason. “Remember Joe?” he asks you.
How could you forget Joe—that miserable cuss? Sure he was a Christian, but that one time he—well, never mind about that.
The angel continues. “You never forgave him did you?”
You shake your head. Of course not. He didn’t deserve forgiveness. In fact, he deserved to spend eternity in—. It hits you. Is the angel implying that Joe is in heaven?
The angel interrupts your thoughts. “This presents a problem. How are you and Joe going to get along here in heaven? Furthermore, heaven is a place without sin. I can’t let you enter heaven while you’re still harboring unforgiveness towards Joe. You’re liable to walk around hating him. Or worse, you pass him on one of the streets of gold, and you strike him in the head. Surely you understand the dilemma here?”
At that moment, you realize you should have forgiven Joe way, way back when you both dwelled on earth. Is it too late to do so? Has this destroyed any chance of you entering Heaven?
What to do—what to do. “Is there anything I can do?” you whisper weakly. Hidden behind your back, you cross your fingers.
“Of course,” replies the angel. “You can forgive Joe with a loving heart.”
That is NOT what you wanted to hear. You were hoping for community service of some kind. Put an orange vest on you, and you’ll clear the golden streets of litter. But heaven has no litter. You’ll wash all the chariots. Surely heaven has chariots.
You look at the angel. He awaits your decision. You try one more option. “Hasn’t Jesus forgiven all my sins?”
“Absolutely,” the angel says. “Your slate is clean as far as Jesus is concerned.”
For you, that should end it. Case closed. Court dismissed. You walk past the angel and push on the gate. It won’t budge.
“Your sins are forgiven, but your heart isn’t healed,” the angel says. “Funny thing isn’t it. A person can have his sins forgiven, but his heart still carries unforgiveness—the sin he won’t let go of.”
You realize the angel is right. The grudge you’ve carried against Joe for so long has become like an extra fifty pounds you’ve grown used to. You’re so used to it, you don’t realize how much the extra weight has affected your life.
“Joe wronged me,” you mutter finally.
“He knows that. He wants to make it right.”
“Where is he?”
The angel waved towards the gate. “Just inside. He’s waiting for you.” You take a step, but the angel stops you. “You can go inside and forgive him just to gain entrance to heaven. But that won’t heal your heart. That won’t wipe the hate away.”
Tears fill your eyes. “I don’t know how to do that.”
“Jesus knows. He’ll help you. He’s with Joe now.”
You take a deep breath. Once again, you try the gate. It swings open, and you walk through. Down the street of gold, two people stand watching you. You know who they are. The tears come freely now. You’re about to rid yourself of a heavy burden. Finally.
This scene is fictitious obviously. However, offering forgiveness can be a hard pill to swallow. But it’s only hard because of us. We clutch our pride, our anger, our hurts. Is there a better path? Yes. Obviously.