By Scott Hilgendorff / Cowboys of the Cross
A stock contractor conspires to cheat a bull competition, switching out the number from one bull to another he recently bought that is all but guaranteed to win. Other stock contractors notice there’s something about that bull that’s different and start looking up videos on their phones and social media. He’s busted and disqualified.
He apologizes a few weeks later as the new season starts and asks to rejoin the association. He seems sincere. Heck, he’s even shown signs in his words and actions that he dedicated his life to Christ and has come into a saving faith with Jesus.
Now what do you do?
Matthew 18: 21-22 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.
You forgive.
He doesn’t apologize, starts a whole new association intent on putting the other association under and does nothing but run down everyone part of the old organization.
Now what do you do?
You forgive. Jesus doesn’t mean a hard number on our forgiveness, he just means that there should be no limits on our willingness to forgive. When there’s no apology or repentance from the person who has wronged us, that can feel tough to do. But that doesn’t mean there still aren’t consequences. You can forgive the horse trainer who beat on your horse but you don’t have to let him work with another of your horses again.
We can only control our own actions or responses. We may be owed an apology and that might be what you need before you’d ever let a cheater back in the association again. That’s okay because there still can or should be consequences for our actions. Forgiveness doesn’t always mean there aren’t still consequences and he can be banned for life or fined or whatever is considered fair.
But what happens when the world around us, the ones who aren’t Christians, see these situations unfold? What happens when they know the people involved are Christians or the rodeo association presents itself as a Christian one with cowboy church, opening prayers and Christian flags flown?
They judge us more harshly and call us hypocrites. They see it as another reason to look down on Christians and not believe.
But what happens when they see or hear about an apology that was given, the opportunity to make the situation right and reconciliation or even consequences, given and received without anger?
They can’t see us as hypocrites then and there’s a much better chance they’ve been pointed to Christ. Especially in the situations where no apology came but forgiveness was still offered.
An apology shows repentance and a desire to be forgiven.
When people see both, there’s a better chance they’ll also see Jesus through us.
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