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TO ERR IS HUMAN

Over the weekend, I had reason to remember the words, “to err is human’.  These words are part of a longer proverb, ‘to err is human; to forgive, divine’ and was penned by Alexander Pope in Essay on Criticism.   It occurred to me for the first time really, that these words are usually applied to me, when I make a mistake.  I am quick to point out my imperfection to others.  It is my defense when there is a lapse in judgment.  But what happens when someone else needs to hear that from me? Over the weekend someone erroneously assumed I had deliberately done something wrong.  Something was wrong, but it was not me and it was not deliberate. Needless to say, I was offended.  I was shocked and disappointed that someone would think that of me.to err‘No one is perfect”, I thought.  “I must be given some leeway to make an error”.  Here I stand in need of grace, while my heart plots the downfall of my accuser.  Such irony! Such audacity! Come closer, a little closer, I want to share a secret with you.  Are you ready for this earth-shattering revelation?  perfectRomans 3:10 tells us ‘As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one’.  Did you get that? This includes me and you.  I love my God.  He is much kinder, more loving, shows more patience and extends more grace than I ever, ever can.  I remember telling my God my side of things.  But do you know what He was doing, while I was whining and complaining, He ummm… reminded me of me! “Not me, Lord! I would never falsely accuse anyone”, uhhh…really, Brenda? Do you really want to go there? Romans 3:23 tells us ‘we have all fallen short of the glory of God’.  ‘All’ refers to every single person, past, present and future; we all stand in need of forgiveness.  We were born in sin, according to Psalms 51:5 ‘Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me’.  The starting line of salvation began at the same point for every single Christian.   Now that we are saved, as we draw near to the Lord, He molds and shapes us, so that we put on more of His characteristics; such as humility and forgiveness.  Forgiveness must be part of a Christian’s life.  It is impossible to serve the Lord without forgiveness from the Lord, and from and to others.

Forgiveness becomes easier (not easy, but EASIER) when we:

  1. Don’t put people on pedestals; people will disappoint us, we will disappoint them.  Remember ‘to err is human”; Romans 3:23/ Romans 3;10
  2. Acknowledge that because we have been forgiven much, therefore we must be prepared to forgive much; Colossians 3:13
  3. Realize that God has commanded, (not suggested) us to forgive; Luke 6:37/Matthew 6:13
  4. Understand that forgiveness is necessary in order to live peacefully with others Romans 12:18
  5. Remember that we usually do that exact same things, sometimes even worse! Matthew 7:4

NO MATTER WHAT THE OFFENSE IS, we must always be ready to forgive if we desire that our Lord forgive us.  I know this is easier said than done, but we are not required to do this in our own strength. We have the Holy Spirit.  Depending on the gravity of the offense, it does take Supernatural strength to help us forgive.  Stay close to the Lord, my friends, always, but even closer when life throws its challenges.   FORGIVE

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who have taken the time to follow the blog.  I am humbled by your comments and likes on the posts.  May the Lord be honored on this adventure.

Have a blessed day and remember: God’s love is unfailing, unwavering and unconditional.

Do you find it hard to forgive, sometimes? Why?

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45 responses to “TO ERR IS HUMAN”

  2. Life is so much more peaceful when we remember that no one’s perfect but Him, isn’t it? Good advice! It is hard to feel misunderstood, but we have a God who even understands that feeling, because He felt it too. Always a comfort He is. — Nice to meet you. Did I read correctly that you’re a Brenda too? 🙂 Great to connect with you. Hope you have a wonderful Easter. 🙂

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  4. Loved this! I have to remind myself that God still loves “said person” and so should I. It’s tough, but get’s easier when I recount all that God has forgiven ME for and remember that I, myself, am not perfect. Such great wisdom you shared!

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  6. Yes, it’s so much easier to think it’s okay to excuse our own faults but to think there is “no excuse!!” for the bad behavior of someone else. I’m so glad God is patient with me; but He wants me to be patient and merciful with others just as He has been patient and merciful with me. Thanks for sharing this lesson from your life!

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  9. It can definitely be hard to forgive, especially depending on the situation. But like you said to err is human and often times when I forgive, it makes me feel better as well so it’s a win win.

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  10. I love the part about how forgiveness gets easier and he reminder that Jesus didn’t suggest we forgive but command. It’s just so hard to forget at times which is what makes forgiveness hard for me at times. But in those moments I ask myself aloud what would have Jesus have done! It’s hard to compare but the best I can do is at least try! Great read sis 🙌🏽

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  11. It’s so interesting to me how even Paul himself brought up how those two men had harmed him greatly – basically by verbally opposing his messages… he even named them and warned about them to his fellow brothers and sisters in Christ – to kind of watch out for them!

    But he also retained an attitude of humility and even though he said he gave those two men over to Satan (!!). He didn’t retain a root of bitterness in his heart though. He basically accepted the harassment, the opposition, he even mentioned how nobody stood by him when all that was occurring (and then was quick to say that he didn’t count it against them). But it is interesting to me how he didn’t “forget” and didn’t mind naming names in order to keep other people safe I think.

    I’m sure he did forgive them… even the people who deserted him during that time that he mentions not holding that against them.

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  12. Offenses are so adept at revealing the true condition of my heart, and show me where I stand in need of God’s forgiveness! I’m so glad He chooses to forgive me…

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  13. I just told my kids last week about “No Cross, No Crown” that Vickie Winans sing, they had an instance at school and I was letting them know that we are not supposed to think of ourselves as greater than Christ. If he endured it, then we are to endure it – If he was talked about, what makes us think we’re not supposed to be talked about and etc. I don’t think my issue was with forgiving, my issue and motto was always “Forgive, but don’t Forget” and I told myself that for years – it wasn’t until I read the word and it stated that God wants us to forgive others 70×7 – and Helen Baylor song that he throws it into the sea of forgetfulness. So, if God can forgive and forget then I should be able too – holding on to it only means that I didn’t forgive them (or at least my take on it). Great Post as always! xoxo =)

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  14. “Understand that forgiveness is necessary in order to live peacefully with others Romans 12:18” &
    “Remember that we usually do that exact same things, sometimes even worse! Matthew 7:4”: so beautiful to read!
    I am learning to be more forgiving of people, because life is too short to hold grudges. And anger is like holding on to a burning piece of coal; you’re only hurting yourself in the process. That said, I want to spread kindness through forgiveness. Great blog post! 🙂

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  16. My pastor always says that if we can’t forgive, we don’t really understand what Jesus did for us. Thank you for this reminder. Love this quote, “Stay close to the Lord, my friends, always, but even closer when life throws its challenges. ” Visiting from the Purposeful Faith Link up. laurensparks.net

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