Extending mercy is a powerful way to express the forgiveness we have received from Christ, an expression shared by Karin Hadadan. Staying grounded in this truth, by Rebecca Simon Finding God Every Day it encourages a daily awareness of God that softens our hearts and lightens our spiritual burden. Let this devotion guide your heart, read below.
Bear with each other and forgive each other if one of you is suspicious of the other. forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:13
When we think about the infinite grace that God has shown us, forgiving all that we have done wrong, it invites us to consider how we can extend that grace to others. Forgiveness is not only a choice but it is essential for believers who want to integrate a new life in Christ – where old patterns are replaced by a new way of being like God’s love.
Colossians 3:13 gives us two gentle but powerful commands. First, ‘forbearance’—showing patience and bearing with others’ weaknesses and faults, just as others must bear with our own. Second, ‘forgiving each other when someone has a suspicion’—to respond to injury in the same way as the forgiveness that Christ showed us. This positive connection links our horizontal relationship with others directly to our direct relationship with God.
The truth is, true forgiveness challenges us deeply, especially when someone has betrayed our trust or broken our hearts. In times of grief, anger, or resentment, our human tendency is to cling to that pain, believing that the person who hurt us is not worthy of our compassion. We may ask, ‘Why should they receive my forgiveness when they have caused so much harm?’ However, when we step back and look at our lives with a wider eye, we realize that unforgiveness ultimately hurts us more than those who have sinned. Although they may move on with their lives, we remain bound in pain, carrying a heavy burden that closes our minds and weighs down our hearts.
We too have sinned against others, whether on purpose or not. We have said hurtful things, made mistakes, and done things that hurt. Yet despite our human weaknesses, God forgives us completely. If we can receive His forgiveness through gratitude, we are invited to extend that gift to others.
Perhaps forgiveness begins with gratitude—finding something in that relationship to appreciate. We may silently acknowledge, ‘Thank you for our experience, as it has taught me valuable lessons that I would not have learned otherwise. Through this pain, I became even closer to God, and for that, I can be grateful.’ The suffering that led us to call out to God more deeply becomes, in its own way, a gift—turning our pain into a path of greater compassion, wisdom, and spiritual maturity.