Sometimes life in the church is just messy! The relationships and connections we enjoy and find so essential to our spiritual well-being are not always easy to maintain. Although we can find it easy to sing that old campfire song, They’ll know We Are Christians By Our Love, it’s entirely a different matter to actually live it!

Such was the situation prompting Paul to write his second letter to the church of Corinth. It seems as though there had been an incident when Paul had previouslycome to help resolve some problems only to find that everything blowing up with anger, hurt, and broken relationships. Surprised? Not really, right!

The questions for Paul and for many of us today is this: How do you move past brokenness to find forgiveness and healing? And what happens when the situation is so painful that you can’t forget and let go of the pain?

This was the challenging situation in the church of Corinth. The community was having a difficult time of letting go of the pain one individual had caused.  So Paul gives helpful advice: “This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person; so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.”

Such good advice especially when it’s difficult to both forgive and forget. There are times when it’s hard to forget! There are times when we can’t or should not forget the pain inflicted upon people, especially those who are innocent and vulnerable. Nonetheless, Paul reminds us that Christ’s call to forgive and give forgiveness countless times lead us through any and all painful moments of brokenness to be healed and made whole…no matter how hard it may be.