When Forgiveness Was Already Waiting

This morning, I didn’t open my Bible.

It was already open, right where I had left it weeks ago, sitting on my desk, untouched. The last time I had read it was during a private Bible short I filmed while fasting. I never closed it. I never turned the page. And somehow… it stayed right there.

Matthew 6:14-15 stared up at me, and it felt like God was staring right into my soul.

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
— Matthew 6:14–15 (NIV)

I froze.

Because before I sat down, forgiveness had already been weighing on my heart. And now I was face-to-face with it — not as a concept, but as a command.

We have family visiting soon — specifically, people with whom we've had a painful emotional history. There have been moments in the past that left scars on me and my wife. Deep ones. For a long time, I didn’t want them in our home. Not because of hatred… but because of caution. Hurt. Unhealed places.

There were real conversations between my wife and me over the past two years about whether allowing them to visit was the right decision. Whether we were truly ready. Whether we had processed enough. Healed enough. Prayed enough.

And then today happened.

The Bible hadn’t been touched… but it had never closed. That page, that verse, that exact scripture had been sitting there the whole time — not randomly, but divinely. Like God was saying:

“I’m not done speaking.
You’re not done healing.
You’re not done forgiving.”

It didn’t feel like a guilt trip. It felt like a whisper from the Father — not pushing me into something I wasn’t ready for, but gently reminding me: this is part of your transformation.

Forgiveness isn’t weakness. Forgiveness is strength through surrender.

It’s not ignoring the past — it’s releasing its power to define the present. It’s choosing peace over pride, healing over holding on.

📖 What Forgiveness Really Means

In Luke 6:37, Jesus says:

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

And in Colossians 3:13:

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”

Forgiveness is not an emotional switch we flip — it's a spiritual discipline we grow into. One that matures as we walk closer with God. And if I'm being honest, I didn't fully understand that until recently.

Through fasting… through prayer… through this journey of breaking the flesh… I’ve come to see that forgiveness isn’t about making the other person feel comfortable.

It’s about me walking in freedom.
It’s about protecting the peace God is building in my home.
It’s about showing my children what redemption looks like in real time.

Forgiveness doesn’t mean we remove all boundaries. But it does mean we remove the bitterness.
It means we make room for love, not by pretending the past didn’t happen, but by choosing not to be chained to it.

✨ A Bible Left Open — A Heart Made Open

When I saw that open Bible this morning, I felt the Holy Spirit press something into me:

“You left this page open. But I left this message waiting.”

It wasn't an accident. It was an appointment.

That page — those words — they had been waiting for me to catch up. Waiting for my heart to be soft enough to receive them. Waiting for my spirit to be surrendered enough to obey them.

And today… I did.

🔥 What This Means for Me — and for Us

Letting go of anger doesn’t mean pretending everything’s perfect. It means trusting God to deal with what we cannot fix on our own.

Opening our doors to this visit isn’t about avoiding conflict — it’s about choosing to lead with peace. To lead with Christ.

As Romans 12:18 says:

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

That’s the posture I’m choosing.

Not naive. Not guarded. Just anchored.

Anchored in God’s Word. Anchored in peace. Anchored in a commitment to keep walking this journey of healing, with grace, humility, and unwavering faith.

🪞 Final Reflection: “Forgiveness Was Already Written”

Before I even sat down…
Before I even knew what I needed to process today…
God had already written the answer.

It was sitting on my desk. Right where I left it. Right where He knew I’d need it.

And now, I carry this forward — not just as a scripture I read, but as a way I choose to live.

I forgive, not because they asked.
I forgive, not because it’s easy.
I forgive because God forgave me first.

And I refuse to carry what Christ already nailed to the cross.