Pass It On

Published: Nov. 2, 2022, midnight

b'When I talk about my mom, it\\u2019s easy to become emotional. After losing my\\nmom in 2020, I wondered at the ways she mirrored God\\u2019s grace. In moments\\nwhen I stood guilty, I knew I was still loved by Mom.\\nGrowing up in my house, we saw this grace in action\\u2014and to be honest,\\nsometimes it got a little personal. For example, when arguments broke out\\nbetween me and my brothers, she was on it. First, she separated us,\\nallowing everyone to calm down. Then, she let each of us tell our side of\\nthe story. Next, she brought us together and quietly pointed out how we had\\nhurt, or perhaps manipulated, the other person. \\nFinally, came the part I dreaded: we faced each other and apologized. This\\nmeant not only saying \\u201cI\\u2019m sorry,\\u201d but following it with: \\u201cWill you forgive\\nme?\\u201d Sometimes, just uttering the words \\u201cYes, I forgive you\\u201d was the\\nhardest part. Other times, swallowing my pride and saying \\u201cI\\u2019m sorry\\u201d was\\nharder.\\nBut Mom dealt with our pride by reminding us how Jesus humbled Himself to\\ndie on the cross for our sins\\u2014not His\\u2014because He loves us. Second\\nCorinthians 5:21 says: \\u201cFor God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the\\noffering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through\\nChrist.\\u201d Because Jesus Christ willingly died for us, and then rose from the\\ngrave, we have the sure hope of experiencing His grace\\u2026and extending that\\ngrace to others. When I remember Christ\\u2019s humility, how much easier it is\\nto let go of the grip of resentment.\\nGod\\u2019s inexplicable grace leads us to experience His forgiveness\\u2014a\\nforgiveness so strong, we can pass it on to others. \\u2022 G. Kam Congleton\\n\\u2022 Have you experienced God\\u2019s forgiveness by trusting in Jesus? (Read more\\nby checking out the \\u201cKnow Jesus\\u201d page.)\\n\\u2022 Even after we\\u2019ve experienced Jesus\\u2019s forgiveness, it can still be\\ndifficult to forgive others. But God is patient with us, and He invites us\\nto rely on His power and love to forgive. How might remembering what Jesus\\nhas done to forgive us help us to forgive others? (Remember, if someone has\\nhurt you deeply, forgiving them\\ndoesn\\u2019t mean you need to be in close relationship with them.)\\nMake allowance for each other\\u2019s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.\\nRemember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13\\n(NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nEph.4.31-Eph.5.2|Col.3.13'