Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone’s sins against me? Seven times?”

 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!”

– The Holy Bible

I had a friend who, whenever he prayed, will say,

“Lord, I forgive, in advance, those who will offend me.”

The first time I heard him utter those words, I thought it was the most ridiculous prayer, but now, as I grow older, I see the wisdom behind that prayer. I’ve realized how important it is to let go of offences even before they happen.

Why?

Because…

• Humans are short-sighted by nature. Daily, we encounter people who prefer to hold on to their myopic opinions rather than make room for a broader perspective. It takes intentionality to view life through a long lens, and where there is short-sightedness and mediocrity, offences will thrive. 

• Humans are self-centred by nature. Our default instinct is to prioritize ourselves before we consider others. We focus on what is in it for us and how we can protect our own interests, and where self-centredness exists, offences will thrive.

• Above all else, forgiveness is good for your soul.

You see, no human being is perfect, including the ones you admire, respect and look up to. You’d be surprised to know their imperfections and how often they hurt those who work closely with them. Like we say in Nigeria, “my sista, leave mata.” We are all work-in-progress and no matter how good you think you are, someone, somewhere, is nursing the wounds you inflicted on them, whether you know it or not. 

My point is, let it go. No offence is really worth clinging to. No matter what they did or didn’t do, you survived, scars and all. See how far you’ve come!

Let it go. Your future is too bright to let an offence dim your light. See how far God is willing to take you! 

Let it go – both the past and present offences; and for the offences that might come in the future, you can say this prayer, like my friend:

“Lord, I forgive, in advance, those who will offend me.”

Let it go. 

May the Lord heal your heart and make it whole again.