In both the Old Testament and New Testament, forgiveness is emphasized as a fundamental aspect of the Christian faith. God is portrayed as a forgiving and merciful God. He encourages believers to extend that same forgiveness to others. We also see Jesus teach His followers about the importance of forgiving others in the New Testament. In the Lord’s Prayer, it says, “…forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us…” (Matthew 6:12) The parable of the Unmerciful Servant tells us further why we should forgive because Christ first forgave us. Teaching our children about forgiveness and reconciliation is important because it’s a part of God’s character.
This doesn’t mean that it’s an easy task to forgive someone or to restore a friendship that has been broken. Forgiveness is a process. Teaching our children helpful steps to work towards forgiveness can be beneficial. Help them or encourage them to identify their feelings and emotions. What was it about the situation that made them angry or upset? Learning to identify the root, can help them walk through this emotion, instead of around it. Remember, forgiveness isn’t about forgetting the wrongdoing, but working towards releasing the feeling of resentment or anger, no matter if the person deserves it or not.
As parents, we should always model forgiveness and reconciliation in our lives. Our children are always watching us and looking to us as their example. Talk about your own process of forgiveness in your life. Identify the real emotions you are feeling and express that to them. Many times, we hear children taking on the stress of their parent’s tough situations, so hearing about the reconciliation process may be helpful for your child to heal and take mental note of what true forgiveness actually looks like.
Remind your children that God is always with us in our tough situations and is the ultimate model of what real forgiveness and reconciliation look like. As we go throughout our lives and develop a relationship with Jesus, we should forgive, because Christ first forgave us. Ephesians 4:32 says, Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” God is with us in our process to forgive and will help us in our time of need.
Becca Ebenhoch
Director of Soul Exercises