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word4U2day
2026-11-12
Forgiven Into Family
The great thing about forgiveness is that you rarely understand how freeing it is until you've let things go and moved on. 'I told you so' might feel temporarily good but it doesn't get your friend back. Revenge doesn't solve anything, and however fair 'an eye for an eye' seems, Jesus outright rejects that way of thinking (Matthew 5:38-39 NKJV).
But what Jesus was saying wasn't new. Joseph, in the Old Testament, modelled how practical and freeing God's way of forgiveness is. When Joseph saw the brothers who'd sold him into slavery because they thought he was a bit annoying, he wanted his family back more than any ego-boosting revenge. By forgiving them he released any anger that he may have felt. And he released them from the fear of revenge.
God does this for us all the time. Think: Jesus died so that we could be reunited with our Father, brought into family, and brought out of fear (check today's verse). We're not kept at arm's length, ignored, or avoided, but instead we're embraced and adopted. To show anything other than grace to others who've hurt you is to imply that they're not also God's adopted children. They're your brothers and sisters. Joseph understood that God had a plan bigger than anything that his brothers had done, and restoring those relationships was ultimately the best thing for everyone. So instead of causing them fear, he offered his brothers forgiveness.
Links to Bible verses: Holy Bible
Figuring out life can be challenging. But, with this daily youth inspiration, we hope you will find the wisdom, courage, and insight you need to live out your faith in the real, messy world.
word4U2day is brought to you by I AM Youth in partnership with Celebration that also writes The Word for Today. The material is centred around youth Bible verses. It is designed to speak into certain circumstances and to encourage young people to find joy and peace. Your current circumstances do not need to define who you are.
word4U2day is available on www.iamyouth.co.za, via email and through our mobile app.
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