The Hardest Question In The World

Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Matthew 6:12

Greg Anderson learned that cancer would likely take his life in thirty days. Desperate for healing, he decided to forgive everyone against whom he held a grudge, including a man at work with whom he had developed a feud three months earlier—a man who was also diagnosed with cancer. Greg asked for and received the man’s forgiveness. Years later, as a wellness crusader, Greg Anderson counts that act of seeking forgiveness as the turning point in his healing.

Doctors agree that bitterness and unforgiveness can lead to illness. With that kind of risk, it’s amazing that anyone would hesitate to seek and offer forgiveness. Yet “Would you please forgive me?” has to be one of life’s most difficult questions. And waiting for the answer may be a hard place to be—but it’s a good place to be.

Saying, “I was wrong” or “It was my fault” is a good start on the road to forgiveness, but it’s not a good finish. If you’ve hurt another person, humble yourself and ask to be forgiven.

Why? Because “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Which would you like Him to do to you?