Chara-Joy 🌸

23 “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.

24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.

25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.

26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.

28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took [him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.

29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.

30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.

31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.

32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:

33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?

34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (Matthew 18:23-35 KJV) 

This passage beautifully explains how God forgives us when we ask for forgiveness, and it also teaches that we must forgive others just as God has forgiven us.

It goes further by highlighting the fruit of patience. If you were my God, many of my prayers would sound like this: “God, this person did this and that, and it is causing me so much pain.” Every time the pain resurfaces, I pray about it again. You, as my God, would have noticed that I have brought the same issue to You many times, yet the pain still lingers.

I often feel as though something is blocking me from receiving healing when people hurt me. Even when I choose to forgive with my will, I still feel a heaviness in my heart , as if I am either bitter or simply unsure of what is happening inside me.

On one particular occasion, I brought an issue to God, one I had prayed about many, many times. As I was reading this passage, the answer suddenly became clear:

“Be patient with me, and I will repay you.”

What I was lacking was patience.

With patience, situations change.

With patience, people change.

With patience, things become better.

Sometimes, even after we have released people in forgiveness, we still need to ask God for the patience to bear with their limitations. Because with patience, they will eventually “repay” what they owe , not necessarily in the literal sense, but through growth, change, and restoration.