The Sins of the Father
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who worshipped her Daddy. She shared her secrets with him, and she ran to him whenever she was frightened. As the girl grew into adolescence, things changed. She sensed her Daddy’s discomfort with her rapidly approaching womanhood. He no longer knew what to say to her, or how to say it. His words became critical and angry, and the girl responded likewise. They grew further and further apart.
One day, the little girl was suddenly a young woman. She married and established her own home and family.
Then, something life-altering happened ~ she experienced a personal encounter with Christ for the very first time. She joyfully and humbly accepted Him as her Savior, and as Lord of her life. She relished reading His Word and knowing Him more deeply, day by day. However, the distance between the young woman and her father continued to increase. She felt justified in withholding forgiveness and she held-fast to her hurt. She failed to understand that her father was broken. And she was broken, too.
Then came a test of the young woman’s new-found faith. A friend challenged her to pray for her father. Reluctantly, she agreed. For her self-imposed limit of two weeks, she would bring her father to the Lord in prayer, seeking the Divine transformation of her long-lost Daddy.
The miracle arrived at the young woman’s front door one sultry August evening, the evening of her 27th birthday. As she was putting away supper dishes, her doorbell rang. When she opened the door, what she saw left her speechless. There stood her estranged father, holding a bouquet of roses, with the simple words, “Happy Birthday.”
This was not the first time her father attempted to reach out and soften her hardened heart. He had tried countless times to reconnect with her, but his efforts were always met with harsh rejection. This time, though, something was different. Something was inexplicably, supernaturally different.
Instantly, miraculously, and without earthly reason, the young woman’s heart dissolved into a waterfall of forgiveness, flowing from the deepest part of her being. In a fraction of a second, all the years of anger, resentment, and bitterness melted away. She was filled with an overwhelming sense of peace and love toward her father, and she extended to him unconditional forgiveness asking for his in return. Without warning or expectation, the relationship had instantaneously been restored.
How could it be? Her father hadn’t changed at all. He still possessed a long list of bad behaviors and flawed character traits. He still wasn’t comfortable with deep, emotional connections. Although yet a babe in Christ, the young woman recognized this restoration as the incomprehensible work of the Holy Spirit. He had restored to her that once close father-daughter relationship, in spite of the fact that her father had not changed. However, she had changed. She was now inhabited by the Great Comforter Himself, Who renewed and put a right spirit within her.
The young woman in this story was me nearly 25 years ago. I share this because it illustrates the incredible, transforming power of forgiveness. Although my personal
experience was a father-daughter story, many couples have experienced the same type of miracle in their marriage relationship, as forgiveness is extended and the Holy Spirit brings restoration to their sacred union.
Our Creator can restore that which is broken beyond repair. He is able to re-create and re-establish even the most damaged of relationships and individuals. He has breathed life back into couples who’ve weathered the catastrophic, devastating storms of adultery, mental illness, and addiction. He has renewed and refreshed unions suffering from discord, disillusionment, and apathy.
Never withhold forgiveness, whether or not it brings restoration to your relationship. Always be mindful that God forgave us before we ever repented, while we were still sinners. The act of forgiving frees you to heal, and restores your relationship with the Lord. In time, it can also restore the relationship with the one from whom you are estranged. I challenge you, in the same way my friend challenged me more than two decades ago, to pray for the one who has offended you. Intercede for the one whose sin you believe to be unforgiveable, and allow God to convict your offender and bring healing to him/her in His own time. Like me, you very well may find yourself on the receiving end of an unexpected miracle!
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“I will restore to you the years the swarming locust has eaten . . . “
~ Joel 2:25