Forgiving Dad

Bible Reading: Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; Colossians 3:13

Ben slowly folded a shirt and placed it in his suitcase. “Why can’t I stay here with you?”

“Because your father wants to spend time with you, Benji,” his mother answered.

Ben sat on his bed next to the open suitcase. “Then he shouldn’t have left us.”

Mom added some of Ben’s socks to the suitcase and then sat down beside him. “It wasn’t so long ago that you loved to camp and fish and ride bikes with your dad. He still wants to do those things with you. That’s why he’s taking two weeks off.”

“I used to like spending time with him—when I thought he was a good dad,” Ben said. He shoved a wadded pair of jeans into a corner of the suitcase. “Now I know better.”

Mom sighed. “I understand how angry and hurt you feel,” she told him. “But we need to trust God to help us forgive.”

“Why? Dad hasn’t even said he’s sorry!”

“We need to forgive because God forgave us. Remember when you stole money from our change jar last year?”

Ben hung his head. He had stolen twenty dollars in quarters so he could buy a video game his parents had refused to buy him. And then he had lied about it. “I remember.”

“Your dad and I forgave you because we love you and we know that people make mistakes. Stealing, lying, and disobeying your parents are all sins against God, but He forgave you too. Jesus took the punishment for our sin when He died on the cross. Because we trust in Him, all our wrongs have been forgiven.”

Mom took the jeans out of the suitcase and refolded them neatly. “And because of the mercy God has shown us, we need to forgive others. No matter how badly they hurt us.”

“Even if they don’t say they’re sorry?” Ben asked.

“We still need to be willing to forgive them,” his mom answered. “I’m sure your dad is very sorry for hurting you, even if he hasn’t told you that. Maybe you can talk to him about it during your visit.” She gave Ben a hug. “Now, let’s finish up this packing. Your dad will be here soon.”

-Bonnie Carr

How About You?

Is there someone you need to forgive? It can be difficult, and there may still be issues you’ll have to work through before you can trust that person again, but you can forgive others when they hurt you because God has forgiven you. If you trust in Jesus, He has forgiven you for every wrong thing you’ve done. Trust Him to help you forgive others.

Today’s Key Verse: Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Forgive others