Ask Your Preacher - Archives
“Staying Sweet”
Categories: MARRIAGE, RELATIONSHIPSIf a husband cheats on his wife, is there an easy way for her to forgive them both?
Sincerely, Cut Deeply
Dear Cut Deeply,
No, there is no easy way to forgive. Forgiveness isn’t easy. If God commands us to do something, it probably isn’t easy. That is why it is a narrow and hard-to-travel road to be a Christian (Matt 7:13-14). Forgiveness requires us to take a loss and to accept a wrong done to us without vengeance (Matt 6:12). Forgiving others is a task that becomes more difficult the deeper the wound is. It might be easy to forgive a small unkindness, but something as wounding as adultery is a great injury. It is so severe of a sin that God permits divorce in such cases (Matt 5:31-32).
Whatever happens, don’t let their sins cut you so deeply that you become a bitter, angry person. Bitterness is a disease that can destroy us from the inside out (Heb 12:15). Bitterness is like poisoning yourself and expecting others to die. Forgiveness, in the long run, helps you to move forward with your own life and enjoy its sweetness.
Anything is possible through God (Php 4:13, Lk 18:27). There are many Christians who have forgiven their spouses and gone on to have happy and wonderful marriages together. It will take time, but you can forgive. God will not let you be tempted beyond what you are able (1 Cor 10:13).
