An Impossible Price

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) 
 
Sadly, when it comes to forgiving someone who has caused pain, many people refuse to forgive because they want the other person to pay for what they did. If we’re honest, we don’t want to forgive because we believe that the person needs to pay the price for the hurt they’ve caused in our lives.  
 
However, there are some offenses that the offender can never repay for what they have taken from us. That’s a tough but valid reality we all need to come to terms with. Think about it. Forgiveness wouldn’t be forgiveness if the person could pay for what they did. That would be more like reparations than forgiveness. True forgiveness is when you realize what they have done can never be repaid, and you forgive them anyway.  
 
You see, sometimes there is nothing that a person can do to deserve forgiveness. There’s no amount of money they can pay, no amount of apologies they can give, and no amount of flowers they can buy to reimburse you emotionally for what was taken. Forgiveness cannot be bought, and reconciliation cannot be purchased.  
 
Thankfully, Jesus provided the model to perfect for forgiveness that we can follow. As He hung on the cross, he forgave everyone, knowing He could not be repaid. He forgave people who didn’t even know the pain and the anguish they were causing. He forgave people who weren’t even the least bit deserving of forgiveness. Therefore, as His followers, we should do the same.  
 
Forget about being repaid. Stop waiting for the person who hurt you to compensate you for the hurt they’ve caused. They can never truly repay you for what they did, but you can still forgive them because Christ forgave you.