When I Hurt Others

I confessed my sins and asked for pardon,
To remove the guilt from my grieving heart;
Not my will but His, like Christ in the Garden,
I asked the Lord to give me a new start.
As the Bible said, His promise was kept,
For sweet peace of forgiveness spread o'er me;
Yet the Spirit's tug inside I still felt,
As if more were needed, to set me free.
I reviewed my list, and thought all were done;
Then I recalled my offended neightbor,
Still unpled; God is not the only one;
All I hurt I should also belabor!
My sins hurt my God, and also others;
I must redress all, God and my brothers!

Regular readers of these poems know they are not of equal import. This one is very important for a Christian. The sins of all men were paid for by Jesus' dying on the cross, and whoever asks forgiveness sincerely will be forgiven. A 'sin', by definition, is an offense to God. Therefore, it is necessary to ask Him for forgiveness of every sin. However, many "sins" are also offenses against others, usually loved ones of the sinner. They, too, need to be apologized to as well. Many Christians make the mistake of asking God's forgiveness only, forgetting the ones who have been emotionally, financially or even physically hurt by the same sin. Other human beings are not "sinned" against, but they certainly are harmed by the actions committed by the wrongdoer; when God forgives the sinner, He does not repair the damage done. The effects of another's sin last forever. Remember Zaccheus, the tax collector at Jericho? When he was forgiven by Jesus, he voluntarily stated he would repay fourfold anyone he had cheated. We are not required to repay fourfold, or any specified reparation, but the law of love requires us to make appropriate amends.

What about the victim of being offended by a sinner in his act of sinning? Well, Jesus told us exactly what we should do if we are "sinned" against in His Sermon on the Mount.

"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." (Matthew 6:14-15)

This is a very hard thing to do in innumerable cases. Suppose a pervert rapes and kills a child, is caught, found guilty, and sentenced. You are a parent of the child, and you have an opportunity to speak to the killer in the sentencing phase of the trial. You are speaking in public, with reporters writing what you say for publication. You guessed it. God is watching. You are a Christian. What should you say? Is it going to be difficult to show your love for God? This is something for you to think about. Your answer to this question might give you a clue about Judgment Day. Are you going to be among the 'sheep' or the 'goats'?