I don’t have to register to go into the Emergency Room of Christ, nor do I have to pay or show an insurance card. All I have to do is walk into the Emergency Room. There He is, the great and mighty Physician. With outstretched hands He waits for me, and He is smiling so tenderly at me. I place my hands into His, those strong—yet gentle—hands that have held millions and millions of other hands. “How do I forgive when someone has hurt me?” I ask, “and how do I know if I’ve forgiven them? And how do I forget?” “Remember, child: they are human,” He answers me, “and humans aren’t perfect. They sin without even realizing it. Do you remember what I said as I hung on the cross? I prayed to My Father, ‘Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing.’ You see, child, those who beat Me and spit on Me, those who cursed Me and flogged Me, those who nailed Me to the cross and said cruel things to Me as I hung there—they did not realize they were slapping the face of God, spitting into the face of God, or nailing God’s hands to the cross.” “They did not believe,” I softly remark. “No, child. They did not believe. And even those who did believe turned their backs and walked the other way. Why are you so surprised that you have been persecuted? Why is your heart so broken over the way you were treated?” Holding His hands tighter, I sigh. “I guess I’m just very tenderhearted.” “And I’m not?” He softly asks. Letting go of my hands, He smiles. “Now—go think of what I have just said, and then come back when you’re ready for more healing.” Turning, I leave the Emergency Room of Christ and begin contemplating what He has shared.
abundantlypardoned 