Imitating God’s Forgiveness

I used to work with a woman named Madge, who was an amazing cook. “You should taste my pea and ham soup!” she said one day. After replying that I really didn’t like peas, Madge smiled and said, “You will after you try my soup.” The next day she handed me a container of her soup, made especially for me. “Did you try my soup?” Madge asked me a couple of days later. “I will—soon!” I said, hoping she wouldn’t ask me again. But she did—the next day, and the next. “Don’t leave it too long or it’ll spoil,” she added on the fourth day. A week later, Madge’s uneaten soup had spoiled and I threw it away. I felt dread as she approached me. “You did try my soup, didn’t you?” she asked. “Yes,” I said. “It was . . .  delicious.” In Ephesians 4, Paul calls us to deal with speech-related sins like angry words (v. 26), unwholesome talk (v. 29), and slander (v. 31). But before these comes a more basic call to “speak truthfully to your neighbor” (v. 25). I had looked at Madge and told her a lie. I knew what I needed to do. I walked into Madge’s office, confessed my lie, and sheepishly asked for her forgiveness. Madge walked to me and gave me a hug. “Of course I forgive you,” she said. “How could I not, when I know how much God’s forgiven me?”