Forgiveness

Our church is currently undergoing some re-organization with Sunday School classes.  This new re-organization has put me as a teacher for a young group of "tweens," as they call them.  I wasn't sure if I was going to have to teach this morning or not, but I prepared myself (of sorts) just in case.  My original thought was to just re-teach one of my previous lessons for my teen girls' class.  While looking through the list of lessons I've taught, one stuck out to me: "Forgiveness." Forgiveness? I think to myself.  I didn't bother to open the lesson.  This morning I wake up and do my regular routine of eating my cereal and my morning devotional.  Again, the thought hits me - "Forgiveness." I sense God is trying to tell me something.  Alright God -if you want me to teach on forgiveness, I'll do it - just give me the right words to say to the kids. 

I get to church only to find out that I won't start teaching until next week.  I instead sit in on the class to observe the current teacher and the way things are done.  One of the verses taught in the lesson was on forgiveness, and how we are supposed to forgive others if we want God to forgive us.

This is and of itself was "neat," as I would like to put it.

I get to service, and the special the choir is singing that morning ends with the refrain "I forgive," reminding us as Christians how God forgives us of all our sins.

At this point "neat" had translated in my head to "ok God, I"m listening."

Preacher stands up to share his message and the first verse he reads says: "And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee." (Matt 9:2).

At this point I just can't help but smile.  I still wonder why God lined things up that way - focusing my mind on forgiveness.  To my knowledge, I don't need to forgive anybody; but I heard Gods voice tell me today that He's preparing me for something.  This thought honestly kind of scares me.  But I'm grateful that God has entrusted me to share this message of forgiveness; that message being of how Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice and bore the sins of the whole world.  God forgave me of my sins - my horrible, wretched past.  All my wrongs - past, present and future - are forgiven entirely.  I don't deserve it.  Jesus didn't deserve what he went through.  But He did it for me and so that I could be forgiven - and He did it for you too.