But let’s not allow the exceptional cases to blind us from the need to forgive in the difficult cases—marriage can and must teach us how to forgive. Christians must be “extreme forgivers.”
We have been forgiven. We must forgive. Grace received must become grace given. It’s a package deal.
Some of you may be letting your marriage slowly die by a refusal to do for your spouse in a much more limited way what God has abundantly done for you. Just know that, in the end, this isn’t as much about being a husband or a wife as it is about being a Christian. Freely you have received; freely you must give and that means freely you must forgive.
[If you struggle with forgiveness and want to know how to get there (as well as the necessary limitations such as holding people accountable as we forgive, etc.) I’ve written on this topic pretty extensively in two books: chapter 7 of Authentic Faith (“Giving up the Grudge”) and chapter 10 of the revised edition of Sacred Marriage (“Falling Forward: Marriage Teaches Us to Forgive”).]
This article originally appeared here.
