Chapel Matters

You will have heard of the saying, “Forgive and forget!” Yet we all know how difficult that can be. This week the Sacristans took their last ‘Sacristans’ Chapel’ for the year on the theme of forgiveness. They reminded us to live “the let-go life” – to accept God’s forgiveness for ourselves, which can then help us to forgive others and also to forgive ourselves. If we are holding onto grudges or hurts, it can take a lot of energy and emotional strength to hang onto the things that have hurt us, or that we can’t forgive ourselves for. Holding all that inside can prevent us from living the full life which God promises us. If we can “let it go” then yes, there is likely to be some fall-out, some challenging conversations, some mess to clean up, but then we are free from all that angst and able to move on and start enjoying life.

This isn’t easy! But it is a very powerful idea to apply to how we live. Instead of cancelling someone, or cutting them out of our lives, perhaps we can try and understand them, and while we might not ever be best friends again, or allow that person to hurt us again, we might be able to have a healthier and happier life. Because, of course, one day we might find ourselves on the receiving end of being cancelled or cut by someone. Discovering the power of forgiving others, and of being forgiven by others, is one of life’s huge lessons. And in all of this, discovering that the God who knows us, understands us and loves us, is also the God who graciously forgives us, and who challenges us to do the same to others, is at the heart of the Christian faith.

You might like to read Jesus’ parable of the Unforgiving Servant which we heard in chapel as this illustrate this theme very powerfully (Matthew 18.21-35).