Go Hug Your Brother

A child builds a sand castle. Their sibling walks up and knocks it over. The reaction of the offended child causes them to look like a lunatic on the beach as the perpetrator appears to have it all together. To restore peace, the adults calm the offended one and inevitably close with, “Now go hug your brother.”

And so it begins. We imagine forgiveness has nothing to do with healing and freedom, but burden and pain. We were the wronged one, and now we’re being told to go hug our brother? But God’s command to forgive is no salt in the wound. It leads to healing, freedom, and joy. It wakes us up to how we were forgiven and made whole by Him. If my forgiving others is necessary to gain freedom and right relationship with my Father, then hand me the White-Out. 

God is not telling you to just go hug your brother, but consider them paid in full – owing you nothing. Vengeance is the Lord’s, and that person will stand before God for what they’ve done, just like we will. That’s why we want to bow the knee to the Gospel today, so that our sin debt is paid in full by the blood of Christ.

What that person did, and what we’ve done to others, will never be okay. God is telling us to stop wasting our time and energy as debt collectors, when we’ve been summoned to be fishers of men. 

“…and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Matthew 6:12

Pray for those who have wronged you, because if they turn and repent, it will be better for everyone. We can forgive, because we’ve been forgiven. Lord, thank You for Your forgiveness.